WASHINGTON — A proposal to limit the amount of nicotine that cigarettes can have in the United States, with a view to making them less addictive, was presented this Wednesday by the country’s federal authorities.
However, it is highly unlikely that this measure long requested by activists come into force soon.
This is because the rule, proposed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), comes in the last days of the Joe Biden Administration, so implementation will be in the hands of the next president, Donald Trump.
Trump and the people he has nominated for health care positions in his Administration have not commented on the proposed regulation, but a very similar initiative promoted when Trump was president for the first time (2016-2020) was set aside at that time.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom Trump has nominated to be his health secretary (pending confirmation by the Senate), has not spoken much about smoking-related issues despite having proposals to reformulate how the government would change its policies. approaches to issues such as chronic diseases.
And even if the incoming Trump administration follows through on the current FDA proposal, it is highly likely that Big Tobacco will try to sue to stop or delay the rule through the courts.
The FDA issued the proposal Wednesday stating that lowering the maximum nicotine level would help stop smoking for up to 13 million people within a year. The agency also shared estimates that 48 million more people, mostly teenagers or young adults, would never become addicted to cigarettes under the proposed regulatory changes.
Nicotine levels would be limited such that they “can no longer create and sustain addiction among smokers,” the agency’s 334-page analysis says.
Activists supported the idea and They asked Kennedy Jr. to support the proposal if confirmed as secretary.
“Tobacco regulation is a huge step toward achieving the goals he has proposed to reduce chronic conditions, and it is a very important part of the health conversation we need to have in this country,” said Chrissie Juliano, part of Big Cities Health. Coalition, a platform that represents more than 30 local health departments.
It is known that smoking is the cause of more than 480,000 deaths in the United States each year for its links to diseases such as cancer, heart conditions and more.