FDA begins push to cut addictive nicotine in cigarettes
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials took the first step Thursday to slash levels of addictive nicotine in cigarettes, an unprecedented move designed to help smokers quit and prevent future generations from getting hooked.
The Food and Drug Administration floated the proposal last summer, but provided new details in a government filing on the potential impact of drasti- cally cutting nicotine from cigarettes, by as much as 80 percent.
Currently, there are no limits on nicotine, which occurs naturally in tobacco plants. Under law, the FDA can regulate nicotine although it cannot remove it completely.
The FDA’s powers to police the tobacco industry are unique worldwide and the attempt to restrict nicotine would represent a first in global efforts to reduce smoking-related deaths.
Under one scenario, the FDA estimates the U.S. smoking rate could fall as low as 1.4 percent by 2060, down from the 15 percent of adults who smoke now. The agency also calculates that about 5 million more people would quit cigarettes within one year of implementing limits.
The greatest impact, though, would come from preventing young people from ever becoming addicted, they said.
Limiting nicotine “could help keep future generations of kids who experi- ment with cigarettes from making the deadly progression from experimentation to addiction,” said Mitch Zeller, the head of the FDA’s tobacco center.
The agency is first seeking comment on a number of issues, including potential unintended consequences.
FDA’s regulatory efforts have been hampered for years by legal challenges by Big Tobacco companies.
Cigarette makers generally have vowed to take part in the nicotine discussions, often emphasizing the long, complicated nature of creating new regulations.
“Altria has already been preparing for any reasonable potential standard, and we plan to participate in every step of this process,” said Altria, parent company of Philip Morris USA, in a statement.
Tobacco industry analyst Bonnie Herzog estimates it will be 4 to 5 years before the FDA puts in place any changes, due to “the sheer complexities and risks involved.”