Advances in Tobacco Control
Reducing Nicotine Levels in Combustible Cigarettes
Mandating the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels would be a monumental step in helping individuals who currently smoke cigarettes to quit and prevent individuals who never smoked cigarettes from starting. Research suggests that the availability and lower price of very low-nicotine (VLN) cigarettes are likely to motivate persons who smoke regular cigarettes to switch to VLN cigarettes and result in significant public health gains.1,2
"The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it intends to advance a product standard that would establish a maximum nicotine yield to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products to minimally addictive or nonaddictive levels. This action would have significant impact on public health if promulgated."
Xavier Becerra
Former Secretary for Health and Human Services
It is important to note, however, that VLN cigarettes are as harmful as regular cigarettes because the same toxic compounds in both regular and VLN cigarettes are formed during combustion. The benefit of VLN cigarettes lies in their minimizing the potential for tobacco dependence because of their low nicotine levels and assisting in the path to cessation through lower smoking intensity.3 The availability of cessation support for individuals who smoke and want to quit continues to remain an important aspect of tobacco control efforts.
"If smoked, reduced nicotine cigarettes are just as deadly. They are not cessation products. Continue to use FDA-approved cessation products to help people quit."
M. Justin Byron, PhD
University of North Carolina, Family Medicine, and Gillings School of Global Public Health
"The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it intends to advance a product standard that would establish a maximum nicotine yield to reduce the addictiveness of cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products to minimally addictive or nonaddictive levels. This action would have significant impact on public health if promulgated."
Xavier Becerra
Former Secretary for Health and Human Services
It is important to note, however, that VLN cigarettes are as harmful as regular cigarettes because the same toxic compounds in both regular and VLN cigarettes are formed during combustion. The benefit of VLN cigarettes lies in their minimizing the potential for tobacco dependence because of their low nicotine levels and assisting in the path to cessation through lower smoking intensity.3 The availability of cessation support for individuals who smoke and want to quit continues to remain an important aspect of tobacco control efforts.
"If smoked, reduced nicotine cigarettes are just as deadly. They are not cessation products. Continue to use FDA-approved cessation products to help people quit."
M. Justin Byron, PhD
University of North Carolina, Family Medicine, and Gillings School of Global Public Health
Box 8
Tobacco Product Standard for Nicotine Level of Combustible Cigarettes
The federal strategy to regulate VLN cigarettes is referred to as The Tobacco Product Standard for Nicotine Level of Combustible Cigarettes policy.1 It was included in the Comprehensive Plan for Tobacco and Nicotine Regulation of the United States that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in July 2017. It…
Sources
- Tucker MR, Laugesen M, Grace RC. Estimating Demand and Cross-Price Elasticity for Very Low Nicotine Content (VLNC) Cigarettes Using a Simulated Demand Task. Nicotine Tob Res. 2018 Jun 7;20(7):843-850.
- Apelberg BJ, Feirman SP, Salazar E, Corey CG, Ambrose BK, Paredes A, Richman E, Verzi SJ, Vugrin ED, Brodsky NS, Rostron BL. Potential Public Health Effects of Reducing Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2018 May 3;378(18):1725-1733.
- Pei D, Reynolds RM, Ntansah CA, Hackworth EE, Henderson KC, Yang B, Duong HT, Ashley DL, Thrasher JF, Popova L. Independent and combined effects of very low nicotine cigarette messages and e-cigarette messages: a randomised clinical trial. Tob Control. 2024 Apr 25:tc-2023-058556. doi: 10.1136/tc-2023-058556. Epub ahead of print.