The Biden administration is moving forward with an 11th-hour plan to effectively ban cigarettes
The The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Biden administration took a significant new step on Wednesday that would effectively ban cigarettes currently on the market in favor of those with lower levels of nicotine.
“Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published a proposed rule that, if finalized, would make cigarettes and certain other combustible tobacco products minimally or non-addictive by limiting the nicotine levels in these products. If finalized, the United States would be the first country in the global level to take such bold, life-saving action to prevent and reduce smoking-related illness and death,” the FDA said in a statement released Wednesday.
“The FDA first announced its intention to propose such rule in 2018, and today’s announcement is an important next step in the External Link Disclaimer rulemaking process. The agency intends to solicit input on the proposal, including public comment and from FDA’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Tobacco Products,” it added.
The “Tobacco Product Standard for Nicotine Levels in Certain Tobacco Products” cleared a regulatory hurdle earlier this month. The rule has not yet been published or finalized.
President Biden’s FDA seeks to ban cigarettes with higher levels of nicotine. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
“Multiple administrations have recognized the tremendous opportunity that a proposal of this type offers to address the burden of tobacco-related disease,” said FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, MD. “Today’s proposal envisions a future where it would be less likely for young people to use cigarettes and more individuals who currently smoke could quit or switch to less harmful products. This action, if completed, could save many lives and dramatically reduce the burden serious illness and disability while saving enormous amounts of money, I hope we can all agree that significantly reducing the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the U.S. is an admirable goal we should all be working toward.”
An FDA press release states that “the proposed rule would not ban cigarettes or any other tobacco products,” but would instead “limit nicotine levels to 0.7 milligrams per gram of tobacco in cigarettes and certain other combustible tobacco products, which is significantly lower than the average concentration of these products on today’s market.”
Fox News Digital reported earlier this month, when the rule authorized a review of FDA regulations, that if nicotine levels in cigarettes are lowered under federal regulations, experts say cartels that sell on the black market a cigarette is likely to benefit.
“Biden’s ban is a bow-and-balloon gift to the organized crime cartels with him, whether it’s the cartels, the Chinese organized crime or the Russian mafia. It will make America smoke and make the streets more violent,” Rich Marianos, former assistant director of the US Office for Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the current president Tobacco Law Enforcement Networkhe told Fox News Digital earlier this month.
Marianos said criminal groups are likely to quickly seize on the proposal if it goes into effect and subsequently ramp up their tobacco operations – which he says will serve as economic benefit for criminals.
Americans who want to buy cigarettes with higher nicotine levels would then have to go through illegal channels to obtain them, similar to buying “loosie” cigarettes on the streets of New York, putting average Americans further criminal risk while also offering cigarettes that are not regulated and originate from foreign countries.
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION FACES CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION OVER PROPOSED MENTHOL CIGARETTE BAN
The Biden administration’s 11th-hour push for the cigarette rule comes after previous attempts to ban menthol cigarettes in what has been described as a “critical” act by President Biden Cancer Moonshot initiative. The administration announced last year, however, abruptly postponed such regulations because the public condemned the move. Several groups argued that the menthol ban unfairly targeted minority communities, while others argued that the ban would open the door to illicit menthol sales.
Close-up view of cigarettes. (Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
“This rule has attracted historic attention, and the public comment period has yielded a tremendous amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movements,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said at the time. “Clearly, there are still more conversations to be had, and that will take significantly more time.”
POPULAR ITALIAN CITY OFFICIALLY BANNS CIGARETTE SMOKING OUTDOORS
The state of Massachusetts banned menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco in 2020. local police from detection illegal sales of menthol cigarettes in the state, including just this month when a man was arrested with 700 packs of unbranded menthol cigarettes, as well as 38 bags of crack cocaine, the Boston Herald reported.
“Mass. banned menthols and dangerous criminals immediately stepped in to create an illegal supply chain and make millions in the underground market,” Marianos’ Tobacco Law Enforcement Network reported to X this week about the arrest.
Former President Barack Obama they signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009, which gave the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products. In the years since, the agency has worked to lower nicotine levels, including in July 2017 under the Trump administration, when then-FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced he would require tobacco companies to drastically reduce nicotine in cigarettes in an effort to help adult smokers quit. smoke.
BIDEN ADMIN SUDDENLY DELAYS PLAN TO BAN MENTHOL CIGARETTES AMID BROAD OPPOSITION
The Biden administration’s 11th-hour push for the cigarette rule comes after previous attempts to ban menthol cigarettes in what has been described as a “critical” part of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot initiative. (Getty Images)
In 2022, the FDA announced plans for a proposed rule that would lower nicotine levels to make them less addictive or not.
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“Reducing nicotine levels to minimally addictive or non-addictive levels would reduce the likelihood that future generations of young people will become addicted to cigarettes and help more currently addicted smokers quit,” FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said at the time.
