LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. regulators are proposing to limit the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels, in a potentially world-first that could curb smoking and affect tobacco industry revenues.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates products containing nicotine, a highly addictive drug, first floated the idea of such a restriction in 2017. It said it would save lives by preventing smoking-related illnesses and deaths caused by the toxic chemical. when burning tobacco.
On Wednesday, he proposed limiting the level of nicotine, the chemical that keeps smokers high, to 0.7 milligrams per gram of tobacco in cigarettes and other combustible products, such as cigars and roll-your-own tobacco. Alternatives such as vapes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco will not be affected.
“By reducing the level of nicotine … to a level low enough that it no longer creates or maintains addiction, that cycle of exposure to these toxic chemicals can be broken,” FDA Product Center Director Brian King said at a news conference, adding that the cap is about 95% lower than the nicotine concentration in cigarettes currently on the market.
Agency modeling predicts that such a limit could prevent 48 million youth or young adults from starting to smoke, and more than 12.9 million people who smoke would quit within one year of its taking effect. This would increase to 19.5 million within five years, it said.
This would threaten the profit engine of large tobacco companies such as British American Tobacco (NYSE:) and Marlboro maker Altria (NYSE:). While they are growing sales from alternatives like vaping, the vast majority of their revenue still comes from tobacco.
Shares of BAT (LON: ) and Altria were down less than 1%.
Altria said the restriction was unnecessary and lacked scientific support. Both companies said the FDA’s proposal would encourage a black market for nicotine products.
“These actions would effectively eliminate legal cigarettes,” BAT added.
The FDA’s proposal is “really a game changer,” said Yolanda Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, urging President-elect Donald Trump to finalize and implement the rule. He takes office on January 20.
The public will have until September to comment on the proposal, the FDA said. The agency proposed that any finalized rule take effect two years after publication.
