31 July, 2017
"The overwhelming amount of death and disease attributable to tobacco is caused by addiction to cigarettes - the only legal consumer product that, when used as intended, will kill half of all long-term users", said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, via an FDA press release.
According to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) website, it "plans a public dialogue in the U.S. about lowering nicotine levels in combustible cigarettes".
The FDA, however, cannot reduce the nicotine levels in cigarettes to zero, it cannot ban cigarette production either.
Experts have said that after the United States proposal on nicotine cuts on cigarettes, Europe is most likely to take the same path to study similar actions on nicotine products in the region.
"While there's still much research to be done on these products and the risks that they may pose, they may also present benefits that we must consider", Gottlieb said. The FDA envisions a world where cigarettes are not addictive.
"We do think there's a potential opportunity for e-cigarettes to be a lower-risk alternative to smokers who want to quit combustible cigarettes", he said.
The FDA's announcement sets in motion a lengthy rule-making process that will involve public comment and input from multiple stakeholders before any measures take effect. The FDA believes that these regulations will lead to less youth becoming addicted to tobacco products in the future.
Dr. Gottlieb, in a conference call with reporters, said the F.D.A. would encourage e-cigarette companies to talk to the agency about gaining approval of their products as smoking cessation aids if that is their intent.
"It was an enormous mistake to continue to allow flavored e-cigarettes and flavored cigars to remain on the market", says the organization's president Matthew Myers.
The news of the tobacco proposals sent shares in British American Tobacco tumbling.