The Biden administration is anticipated to formally suggest a cigarette nicotine cap in its final days in office. It would be a last-ditch effort to retaliate against the tobacco business after President Joe Biden’s long-standing promise to outlawmenthol cigarettes was not fulfilled.
It is not anticipated that tobacco products such as e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement patches and lozenges will be included in the proposal, which could be announced as early as Monday.
According to Erika Sward, assistant vice president of national advocacy for the American Lung Association, this is a Hail Mary from the Biden administration to forward a significant plan, or at the very least, to kickstart one in the final days of the administration.
While smoking-related chronic illnesses and deaths are caused by the poisons emitted by combustible tobacco, nicotine is what first hooks smokers and keeps them coming back.
The idea to regulate nicotine levels has not yet been made public. However, a number of studies have indicated that in order to make levels minimally or non-addictive, they may need to be cut by up to 95%.
According to Dr. Rose Marie Robertson, the American Heart Association’s scientific and medical officer, this would be a historic move by the FDA that might significantly affect public health.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking kills over 480,000 people annually and is the greatest preventable cause of disease and death in the United States.
Teenagers are the starting point for almost all smokers. Millions of lives would be saved if cigarettes were less addictive, according to Sward.
According to a 2018 Food and Drug Administration research, a nicotine cap would prevent 16 million people from developing a smoking addiction by 2060. According to the report, by 2100, that figure will rise to 33.1 million.
It would still probably take several years for the proposed rule to become final, even if the Biden administration published it next week.
Yolonda C. Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told NBC News that limiting the amount of nicotine in cigarettes would be revolutionary. Few policies would have a greater impact on combating chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease, which significantly impair American health and which the next administration has stated should be a top focus.
The FDA, which has the power to regulate tobacco, first openly explored a plan to reduce nicotine levels during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
The wheels were set in motion in 2017 when then-FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb unveiled a comprehensive plan that includes a proposal to limit nicotine in combustible cigarettes and make them either moderately or non-addictive.
Redirecting adult smokers to noncombustible goods like e-cigarettes was one of its goals. A ban on menthol products and the possibility of regulating e-cigarette tastes were also part of the 2017 proposal. Although most tastes were banned by the federal government in 2020, menthol is still available.
Gottlieb stated in an interview this week that any attempt to enhance public health and lower the prevalence of chronic diseases must prioritize tackling smoking rates.
He asserted that drastically lowering smoking rates in this nation might be the most significant thing we can accomplish.