US seeks to limit nicotine levels in cigarettes

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.