Lung Association: Reducing Nicotine in Tobacco Products Would Be a Game Changer

Last night, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a proposed rule to the White House Office on Management and Budget regarding nicotine levels in some tobacco products. The American Lung Association’s President and CEO Harold Wimmer issued the following statement: 

“Reducing nicotine to non-addictive levels in cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products would fulfill a major promise inherent in the Tobacco Control Act to save millions of lives and is why Congress gave FDA the authority to reduce nicotine levels in tobacco products to any amount above zero. Once finalized, this rule could be a game changer in our nation’s efforts to eliminate tobacco use. 

“Making tobacco products non-addictive would dramatically reduce the number of young people who become hooked when they are experimenting. To fully address the toll of tobacco on our nation’s health and across all communities, it is critical to reduce nicotine levels to non-addictive levels in all commercial tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. The Lung Association looks forward to reviewing the proposed rule and providing our comments to FDA.” 

The American Lung Association’s previous comments regarding low nicotine commercial tobacco products can be found here.