US Government To Cut Down Amount Of Nicotine In Cigarettes

The American Food and Drug Agency (FDA) has announced plans to bring the nicotine found in cigarettes down to non-addictive levels to improve health and well-being. The organisation hopes the measure reduces the number of people dying from smoking, which is estimated to be nearly half a million every year.

In a statement, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb: "Unless we change course, 5.6 million young people alive today will die prematurely later in life from tobacco use. Envisioning a world where cigarettes would no longer create or sustain addiction, and where adults who still need or want nicotine could get it from alternative and less harmful sources, needs to be the cornerstone of our efforts - and we believe it's vital that we pursue this common ground."

"Because almost 90 percent of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18 and nearly 2,500 youth smoke their first cigarette every day in the US, lowering nicotine levels could decrease the likelihood that future generations become addicted to cigarettes and allow more currently addicted smokers to quit."

Credit: PA

The FDA first wants to start a consultation with the industry and with smokers to see how best to approach the issue, but the agency says that the new policy will only affect newly-regulated tobacco products like cigars and e-cigarettes.

Health experts aren't entirely convinced the plan will work, with Robert West, professor of health psychology at University College London, telling the Guardian: "The idea of gradually reducing the addictive ingredient of cigarettes, nicotine, looks attractive on the surface.

"But unless nicotine is pretty much eliminated quickly and comprehensively in all available tobacco products - which seems unlikely - it runs a serious risk of making things worse as smokers smoke cigarettes harder in order to get the nicotine they need, leading to more exposure to the harmful tar."

Credit: PA

There are also fears the policy will increase the black market share of illegal cigarettes. But the FDA is hoping for the move will push people onto e-cigarettes instead, which has been shown to help people quit smoking

An article published in the British Medical Journal, revealed researchers have looked at the smoking trends of both e-cigarette and normal cigarette users over the past few years. With more than 160,000 people surveyed in the US, the report concludes that: "The substantial increase in e-cigarette use among US adult smokers was associated with a statistically significant increase in the smoking cessation rate at the population level."

Applications for tobacco products such as cigars and e-cigarettes will have to be submitted by August 2019.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Health

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

@stewartperrie