FDA moves forward with last-minute push to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes

The Biden administration released a proposal on Wednesday to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes, a last-minute push for a plan that could reduce cancer rates nationwide and extend the lives of millions of smokers.

If passed, the proposal would require cigarette manufacturers to significantly reduce the level of nicotine in their products in an effort to make smoking less addictive and less satisfying. Research suggests the move will get fewer people to kick the habit and help the country’s 30 million smokers quit or switch to less harmful alternatives like cigarettes. electronics.

Politics is at the heart of Dr.’s anti-smoking campaign. Robert Califf, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, who described treating heart disease patients destroyed by smoking during his medical career.

“It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever seen in terms of community benefit, cost savings and lives saved, and stroke prevention and cancer prevention,” said Dr. Calif.

Efforts with the policy to ban menthol cigarettes have been shelved indefinitely after strong opposition from cigarette manufacturers and other opponents, including grocery stores.

It is unclear whether the nicotine reduction plan will survive the administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump. Mr. Trump is familiar with the industry and opposes strong corporate regulation. In addition, he received the support of tobacco companies, including Reynolds American, which gave at least $8 million to Mr. Trump’s main Super PAC during the presidential campaign. Reynolds has already expressed his opposition to the proposed measure.

Mr. Trump’s campaign co-chairman and chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is a former lobbyist for Swisher, the cigarette company. The rules apply to cigarettes, personal tobacco, pipe tobacco and cigarettes (although not premium cigarettes).

Some public health advocates hope that the Trump administration will allow the proposal to go forward, as the previous version was considered by the FDA during the first term. At the very least, officials can continue to allow the public to comment on the initiative without killing it or enforcing it.

The FDA’s proposal includes projections that by the year 2100, nicotine-reduction measures will prevent about 48 million young people from starting to smoke. By 2060, the agency also estimates that 1.8 million deaths from tobacco will be averted, and $30 trillion in benefits will accrue by 40 years, most of which will come from the generation that do not start smoking.

“We have a very toxic and addictive product with cigarettes left on the market, which still kills nearly half a million people every year,” said Dorothy Hatsukami, a tobacco researcher at the University of of Minnesota that studied low nicotine cigarettes. for about 15 years. “So it’s really kind of a sad situation that we didn’t really do anything.”

In 2022, Dr. Califf to lower the nicotine level, and resistance began to rise immediately.

Tobacco companies saw the move as a threat to their business. Luis Pinto, a spokesman for Reynolds American, said the proposal would “effectively eliminate legal cigarettes and increase the market for illegal nicotine.”

“These actions will have a significant economic impact on farmers, traders and others,” he added.

Retailers also objected to an earlier version of the proposal, saying it would result in a significant loss of revenue from the projected decline in cigarette sales.

Congressional Republicans have also tried to block restrictions on nicotine levels. In 2023, members of the House subcommittee passed a measure that would have prevented the FDA from spending money to advance nicotine limits, with almost all votes in favor of Republicans. . The Senate did not include this provision in the final budget package.

Still, supporters of the plan point to signs that future public health officials may embrace it, including the popularity of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pledge. to fight chronic disease and improve the health of Americans if he is confirmed to lead. top health agency in the country. Mr. Trump himself has said that he is personally opposed to smoking.

“Given these tremendous benefits, we urge the incoming Trump administration to move forward with finalizing and implementing this rule,” said Yolonda C. Richardson, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. in a statement. “More action is being taken to combat the chronic diseases like cancer and heart disease that are ravaging the health of the United States, and the administration has said should be a priority.”