In a bold move to curb smoking and improve public health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed a radical reduction in the nicotine content of cigarettes and other tobacco products. The proposal, put forth in the final days of the Biden administration, seeks to limit nicotine levels to just 0.70 milligrams per gram of total tobacco, a staggering 96% decrease from the current average of 17.2 mg/g found in the top 100 cigarette brands.
The proposed rule would apply to cigarettes (excluding noncombusted cigarettes), cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, cigars (including little cigars, cigarillos, and large cigars, but excluding premium cigars), and pipe tobacco (other than waterpipe tobacco). Notably, the proposal does not include vapes or other backbar products.
As the Biden administration comes to a close, the fate of the FDA’s nicotine reduction proposal remains uncertain. It will be up to the incoming Trump administration to determine whether to move forward with the proposed rule or pursue an alternative approach to tobacco regulation.
The public will have 240 days from the date the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register to submit comments. NACS, representing the convenience store industry, plans to file comments on behalf of its members and will provide a portal for individual businesses to submit their own comments.
As the debate over nicotine reduction in tobacco products continues, stakeholders on all sides will closely monitor developments and weigh in on the potential impacts of this groundbreaking proposal on public health, consumer behavior, and the tobacco industry as a whole.
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