WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials released a sweeping proposal Wednesday to make cigarettes less addictive by capping their nicotine contenta goal long sought by tobacco control advocates and one that is not expected to come into effect anytime soon.
THE proposed rule of the Food and Drug Administration arrives in the final days of That of President Joe Biden term, considerably reducing the probability that it will actually be adopted. President-elect Donald Trump and his health candidates did not comment on the measure, but a similar effort led by Trump’s first FDA commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottliebwas sidelined during his first term.
Trump’s health secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has said little about how tobacco regulation fits into his plans to rethink the government’s approach to in the fight against chronic diseases. Even if the efforts continue under Trump, tobacco companies like Reynolds American and Altria are almost certain to challenge them in court, delaying their implementation.
The FDA has spent years studying the issue and said Wednesday that reducing nicotine would help nearly 13 million current smokers quit within a year. According to the agency’s projections, about 48 million more young people would never take up the habit, because cigarettes would no longer be addictive.
“This action, if finalized, could save many lives and significantly reduce the burden of serious illness and disability, while saving enormous amounts of money,” said FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, in a press release.
Under the agency’s plan, nicotine in cigarettes would be capped at levels that “could no longer create and maintain this dependence in smokers.” Companies would need several years to reformulate their products after a final rule is issued. The agency posted its 334-page proposal online Wednesday morning and said it would consider public comments for nine months before taking further action.
Tobacco control advocates overwhelmingly support the idea and have urged Kennedy to help implement it, if confirmed.
“Tobacco regulation plays a major role in meeting the goals he has set out to reduce chronic disease and is a very important part of the debate we need to have in this country,” said Big Cities’ Chrissie Juliano Health Coalition, which represents leaders of several more than 30 metropolitan health departments.
In the United States, smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year from cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other smoking-related illnesses. These conditions often take decades to develop and remain high today despite continued declines in adult smoking and teenagers.
The idea of limiting nicotine has its origins in the broad powers granted to the FDA by Congress in 2009 to regulate the tobacco industry. But the FDA’s efforts on nicotine and a host of other anti-tobacco measures, like adding graphic warning labels has packets of cigarettes – have been bothered for years by lawsuits against the tobacco industry.
Under the law, the agency can regulate nicotine but cannot eliminate it completely. The nicotine limits proposed Wednesday would apply to cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco, but not e-cigarettes and other low-risk products. Although many e-cigarettes have not undergone extensive testing, the FDA has has endorsed several major brandsnotably NJOY and Vuse, as less harmful alternatives for smokers.
Currently, there are no limits in the United States on nicotine, which occurs naturally in tobacco plants. There are several techniques to eliminate it, including chemical extraction and plant crossing.
The FDA’s latest announcement comes as smoking continues to decline in the United States. Last year, smoking rates hit a new all-time low, with only 1 in 9 adults reporting they currently smoke.
Low-nicotine cigarettes are not a new idea. Several companies, including Philip Morris, experimented with selling these products in the 1980s and 1990s, without much success. In 2019, the FDA approved a cigarette containing 95% less nicotine than standard cigarettes.
The FDA has sponsored studies showing that when smokers switch to very low-nicotine cigarettes, they smoke less and are more likely to try to quit. This research is seen as key to establishing that smokers will not compensate simply by smoking more cigarettes or inhaling more deeply. This was sometimes the case with “light” and “low-tar” cigarettes marketed in decades past. These products were later banned for being misleading.
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