Biden administration moves to reduce nicotine in cigarettes make them 'non-addictive'

The Biden administration plans to propose limits on how much nicotine that nicotine tobacco companies can place in traditional cigarettes to try to make them less addictive. 

The proposed change is being led by the Food and Drug Administration, according to a notice published in the agency’s biannual regulatory agenda, as reported by The Washington Post. 

The proposal also follows the release of a Department of Health and Human Services report stating that "480,000 people die prematurely" every year due to smoking related illnesses.

Officials say that based on the findings, smoking has been determined to be the leading cause of preventable deaths and disease in the U.S.

“Nicotine is powerfully addictive,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said Tuesday when the proposed change was announced. “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.”

Additionally, regulation surrounding nicotine has also been announced targeting JUUL products. The FDA also plans to remove all JUUL vaping products off the U.S. market as early as Wednesday.  

The $95 billion U.S. tobacco industry is not likely stand by and let these regulations take hold.  They will most likely challenge the final regulation in court.

The FDA plans to propose the ruling in May 2023 but the implementation is not likely to take action for several years.