FDA Proposes Nicotine Limits in Cigarettes; Fate Uncertain Under Trump Administration

Jan 16, 2025, 04:18 PM

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday proposed a sweeping new rule to limit nicotine levels in cigarettes and certain other combustible tobacco products to minimally or non-addictive levels. The proposal aims to make cigarettes less addictive, potentially preventing 48 million youth from starting to smoke and helping nearly 13 million current smokers quit within one year of implementation. The FDA estimates the rule could avert 4.3 million smoking-related deaths by the end of the century. If finalized, the U.S. would become the first country to impose such a limit. However, the plan, an 11th-hour initiative from the Biden administration, is unlikely to go into effect anytime soon, as its fate rests with the incoming Trump administration, which is not expected to follow through on the idea.