The Biden Administration has since proposed a move to establish a maximum nicotine level in cigarettes and other tobacco products. This will essentially decrease the amount of nicotine in products in the US.
Matthew Myers, the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, made a statement saying, “This is the first time there’s ever been a serious discussion with a commitment from the highest levels of government to tackle tobacco in a transformative way. It will transform public health in the United States and literally do more to reduce cancer, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease than any other set of actions the government could take.”
The US Food and Drug Administration also made a statement Tuesday stating, “Addiction to nicotine in combusted products is the main driver of sustained use of these products. In fact, more than half of adult cigarette smokers make a serious quit attempt each year (quitting for at least a day), but most do not succeed due to the addictive nature of cigarettes. Such a product standard, if proposed and then finalized after a thorough process, would make those products minimally or non-addictive. Nicotine is powerfully addictive. Lowering nicotine levels to minimally addictive or non-addictive levels would decrease the likelihood that future generations of young people become addicted to cigarettes and help more currently addicted smokers to quit.”
According to the CDC, more than 480,000 people across the country die from smoking-related diseases. It is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the US alone.
Although it is a big issue in the US, the number of smokers in the US has declined in the past 15 years. However, according to the CDC, about 12.5% of US adults still smoke, and more than 16 million live with smoking-related diseases.
Myers and other tobacco experts say they hope that both the FDA and the Biden administration will move quickly on this initiative as it can save many lives across the country.
