The government chaired by Joe Biden will announce this Tuesday a rule to restrict the amount of nicotine in tobacco to minimum levels to combat the addiction it causes and reduce deaths from its consumption, according to The Washington Post.
A pack of cigarettes in a file image. Khaosai Wongnatthakan / EyeEm / Getty Images/EyeEm
The policy seeks to meet one of Biden's main goals: reduce cancer deaths by 50% within 25 years.
About 480,000 people die in the United States from causes related to tobacco
, which is the leading preventable cause of death in the country, according to official data.
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Experts consulted by the aforementioned newspaper warned that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may take up to a year to implement this measure.
The tobacco industry could also challenge this policy in court;
and another government from 2024 could reverse the measure.
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This would in any case be the first time that the federal government has tried to regulate the amount of nicotine in tobacco products, although the FDA has proposed it before without success.
Nicotine is the substance that causes addiction.
Proponents of the measure say reduced-nicotine tobacco products could save millions of lives over decades.
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However, critics say the measure could lead to a black market for higher-nicotine cigarettes, reducing their effectiveness in improving public health.
The FDA has already taken steps to try to reduce addiction to cigarettes.
In late April, the regulatory agency announced it would ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, calling it "a historic step that will save lives."
