FDA Moves to Limit Nicotine in Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products

The FDA’s director said it ‘could save many lives and dramatically reduce the burden of severe illness and disability.’

A man holds a lit cigarette in San Francisco on Dec. 2, 2020. The Canadian Press/AP-Jeff Chiu

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week floated a plan to cap nicotine levels in order to make cigarettes and other tobacco non-addictive, although such a decision would have to be made by President-elect Donald Trump when he returns to the White House.

The agency is “proposing a tobacco product standard that would regulate nicotine yield by establishing a maximum nicotine level in cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products,” according to its proposal, which is set to be published in the Federal Register on Jan. 16.