Cigarette nicotine levels could drop

FDA explores ways to reduce power to addict

In what he called a “pivotal step,” Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced Thursday a plan to explore lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes to make them less addictive — or not addictive at all.

About 15% of U.S. adults smoke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Courts ordered ads in which tobacco companies had to admit their products kill 1,200 Americans every day.

“This unprecedented public health opportunity, contrasted against the cost of doing nothing, weighs heavily on me,” Gottlieb said in a statement.

Thursday’s announcement kicks off a long process that will seek comment, research and data for public review. The agency plans to announce similar explorations to regulate menthol cigarettes and premium cigars.

“We’re interested in public input on critical questions such as: What potential maximum nicotine level would be appropriate for the protection of public health? Should a product standard be implemented all at once or gradually?” Gottlieb said.

Gottlieb cited an FDA-funded study published Thursday in The New England Journal of Medicine estimating that a hypothetical version of a policy lowering nicotine levels could result in as many as 5 million people quitting smoking within a year.

The FDA does not want to make cigarettes harder to get. Gottlieb noted, “We must make it possible for current adult smokers who still seek nicotine to get it from alternative and less harmful sources.”

The move could result in massive shifts for the tobacco industry.

“As this process gets underway, we look forward to working with FDA on its science-based review of nicotine levels in cigarettes and to build on the opportunity of establishing a regulatory framework that is based on tobacco harm reduction and recognizes the continuum of risk,” James Figlar, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco’s executive vice president of research and development, said in a statement to NPR.