Industry sales reports or financial statements from major tobacco companies

Biden's Last-Minute Move to Slash Cigarette Nicotine by 95% to Combat Addiction

Jan 13, 2025, 01:23 PM

In its final days, the Biden administration is set to propose a new regulation aimed at significantly reducing the nicotine content in cigarettes, described as a 'last-minute move' to combat tobacco addiction. This 'Hail Mary' effort would not affect other tobacco products such as e-cigarettes or nicotine replacement therapies. The initiative follows the administration's failure to ban menthol cigarettes, a long-standing promise. The proposed rule, if implemented, could make cigarettes minimally or non-addictive by slashing nicotine levels by up to 95%, according to multiple studies. Health organizations like the American Lung Association and the American Heart Association have praised the potential impact on public health, noting that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S., killing over 480,000 people annually. The proposal could prevent millions from becoming addicted to smoking in the coming decades.