The Biden administration intends to pursue a policy that would require tobacco companies to reduce nicotine content in all cigarettes sold in the U.S. to a minimum or non-addictive level, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The policy could be announced as early as this week.
Health advocates have long pushed to reduce nicotine levels, arguing that it would prevent future generations from becoming addicted to cigarettes and prompt current smokers to quit. In 2009, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act authorized the FOOD and Drug Administration to make such changes -- stipulating that the policy must be based on scientific evidence.
Research funded by the FDA and the National Institutes of Health shows that when nicotine is nearly eliminated from cigarettes, smokers are more likely to quit or seek nicotine repair from a less harmful alternative (such as e-cigarettes or gum) than smokers who continue to use cigarettes. Nicotine levels are normal.
According to estimates published in the New England Journal of Medicine, mandatory reductions to very low levels of nicotine in cigarettes would prompt an additional 5 million adult smokers to quit within a year of implementation.
The tobacco industry has warned that reducing nicotine requirements will lead people to smoke more, not less, because smokers need more cigarettes to satisfy their nicotine cravings. This, in turn, causes them to inhale more carcinogens produced by combustion. Critics also warn that requiring low-nicotine cigarettes will stimulate the illegal tobacco market.
If low-nicotine policies are indeed announced this week, they will take years to take effect. The FDA must first issue a proposed rule and then solicit public comment before issuing a final rule. Tobacco companies could then challenge the rule in court, which could further delay implementation of the policy.