Biden administration considering the norm for cutting nicotine into cigarettes

The Food and Drug Administration must respond in court before April 29 to a request from citizens to ban menthol by disclosing whether the agency intends to pursue this policy. The Biden administration is now thinking about whether to go ahead with the ban on menthol or the reduction of nicotine in all cigarettes, or both, according to people who knew the issue.

The White House and the FDA did not comment immediately on Monday.

The nicotine reduction policy under consideration would reduce cigarette chemical levels to non-addictive or minimally addictive levels, with the goal of encouraging millions of smokers to quit smoking or switch to less harmful alternatives, such as gums. of nicotine, pills or electronic cigarettes. Meanwhile, the ban on menthol would aim to curb the onset of smoking among young people, many of whom start with menthol. Both policies would take years to implement and would likely face legal challenges.

Scott Gottlieb, an FDA commissioner under the Trump administration, pursued both a ban on menthol and a reduction in nicotine in cigarettes as part of a broader tobacco policy he proposed in 2017. But after ‘leaving the agency in 2019, both plans were shelved.

Last week, New Zealand proposed drastically reducing nicotine levels in cigarettes and raising the legal age for smoking as part of a broader policy aimed at ending smoking.

Nicotine itself does not cause cancer, heart disease or lung disease, according to the FDA. But it sticks people to cigarettes, which are linked to 480,000 deaths in the U.S. each year.

Tobacco companies have said any change in nicotine levels from cigarettes should be backed by scientific research and should take into account possible consequences, such as an increase in black market sales.

Research funded by the FDA and the National Institutes of Health has shown that when nicotine was almost eliminated from cigarettes, smokers were more likely to quit smoking or seek solutions for nicotine from less harmful alternatives, such as now e-cigarettes or rubber, with smokers continuing to use cigarettes with normal nicotine levels.

The reduction of nicotine in cigarettes has been the subject of debate in the FDA since the 1990s. It can be done in different ways, such as genetically modifying tobacco plants or removing nicotine from the leaf in the manufacturing process. In 2009, the Tobacco Control Act authorized the FDA to require this change, stipulating that the policy be based on scientific evidence.

The ban on menthol has similarly been in the FDA’s sights for years.

The Tobacco Control Act banned flavoring of sweets, fruits and spices in cigarettes because of their potential appeal to children, but left the menthol problem uneasy. The 2009 law said the FDA could ban menthol only if it demonstrated that the ban was a net benefit to public health, given the possible unintended consequences such as an illicit market. Since then, the agency has been working to overcome this hurdle.

The FDA concluded in 2013 that menthol is harder to quit and poses a higher health risk than regular cigarettes. The agency said cigarette use was likely associated with an increase in smoking initiation by young people and young adults.

Menthol, a natural compound in mint plants, has been added to cigarettes since the 1920s. It provides a cooling sensation in the mouth and throat, similar to that of a mentholated cough. Health officials have said it relieves throat irritation caused by cigarette smoke, making menthol more attractive to young people and those who have never smoked.

The tobacco industry has rejected FDA findings on menthol. Menthol accounts for about a third of the 226 billion cigarettes sold annually in the country and are popular with teen and African American smokers, according to federal data.

—Stephanie Armor and Andrew Restuccia contributed to this article.

Write to Jennifer Maloney to [email protected]