US seeks to limit nicotine levels in cigarettes

ITC

The Biden administration said it will issue a new rule mandating tobacco companies limit nicotine levels in cigarettes in a bid to reduce smoking-related deaths in the US.

The Food and Drug Administration will draft a rule that limits nicotine, according to a notice of a proposed rule posted on the US Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

“Because tobacco-related harms primarily result from addiction to products that repeatedly expose users to toxins, FDA would take this action to reduce addictiveness to certain tobacco products, thus giving addicted users a greater ability to quit,” the administration said in the summary for the proposed rule. It said that smoking-related disease kills 480,000 every year.

Issuing the rule will be a lengthy process that will be contested by the tobacco industry.

The Washington Post earlier reported that the administration was planning an announcement. Shares of Altria Group Inc., which sells Marlboro cigarettes in the US, rose 0.9% in New York trading on Tuesday, below the advance of the S&P 500 Index.