THE SOLUTION
In 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed a new rule that could fundamentally reshape the tobacco industry and help prevent future generations from becoming addicted to nicotine.
The FDA’s proposed rule would limit nicotine levels in cigarettes to no more than 0.7 mg per gram of tobacco, a drastic reduction from the current average of 17.2 mg/g found in the top 100 U.S. cigarette brands, levels that were deliberately engineered to sustain addiction.
Nicotine is the chemical that makes cigarettes addictive. While it’s not known to directly cause cancer, it keeps people hooked on tobacco products that do. For decades, Big Tobacco has carefully engineered cigarettes to deliver high levels of nicotine to maximize addiction. If enacted, this rule targets that manipulation head-on.
What are health experts and public health agencies saying?
American Lung Association
Statement from Harold Wimmer, American Lung Association’s President and CEO:
“Youth are initially attracted to tobacco products due to flavors and industry marketing, but they become addicted because of the nicotine. In 2009, Congress gave FDA the authority to reduce nicotine levels in tobacco products, which paved the way for the agency to propose this new rule. Reducing nicotine to non-addictive levels in combusted tobacco products would fulfill a major promise inherent in the Tobacco Control Act to save millions of lives.”
Truth Initiative
Statement from Kathy Crosby, CEO and President of Truth Initiative:
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed rule to make cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products minimally or nonaddictive by limiting the level of nicotine represents a monumental step forward for public health. If implemented, this rule will shield future generations from addiction while offering millions of Americans who smoke — particularly those disproportionately harmed by tobacco use — a vital opportunity to break free from the cycle of nicotine addiction.
American Heart Association
Statement from Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association:
“By reducing nicotine levels in cigarettes and certain other combustible tobacco products, the FDA would take a major step to protect public health from an industry whose addictive products kill nearly half a million people in this country every year. The proposal outlines a plan to reduce the addictiveness of the deadliest consumer products on the market. Lowering nicotine levels will help millions of people quit smoking and prevent countless others from becoming addicted, sparing families nationwide from the devastating consequences of tobacco-related illnesses and death.”
Action on Smoking and Health
Statement from Laurent Huber, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health:
“Action on Smoking and Health welcomes the [FDA’s] proposed rule to reduce nicotine in cigarettes to nonaddictive levels. Nearly half a million people in the U.S. die each year from cigarettes, by far the leading cause of preventable death, and over 16 million suffer from tobacco-induced disease. Reducing nicotine is one of the most impactful ways to help people quit to save their lives.”