Proposal to Lower Nicotine Levels Represents Historic Step Forward for Public Health

Statement from Kathy Crosby, Truth Initiative CEO and President

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) proposed rule to make cigarettes and certain other combusted tobacco products minimally- or non-addictive by limiting the level of nicotine represents a monumental step forward for public health. If implemented, this rule will shield future generations from addiction while offering millions of Americans who smoke — particularly those disproportionately harmed by tobacco use — a vital opportunity to break free from the cycle of nicotine addiction.

The proposed rule underscores the need for better quitting resources, such as Truth Initiative’s EX^® Program, a comprehensive, evidence-based digital smoking cessation program designed to help individuals quit nicotine and tobacco use. It offers proven, evidence-based tools designed to support quitting through personalized quit plans, interactive text messages, and 24/7 access to the nation’s most established online quit community. For employers, health plans, government agencies and public health organizations, EX Program Enterprise delivers a proven-effective, customizable and HIPAA-compliant cessation solution that ensures businesses can play a critical role in helping people quit while fostering healthier workplaces.

While smoking rates have dropped precipitously in the past few decades, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., with more than 490,000 deaths annually attributable to cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke — about one in five of all deaths in the United States — according to the U.S. Surgeon General's report and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new, proposed nicotine product standard — which would cap nicotine at 95% lower than most products currently on the market — would prevent 48 million people from starting to smoke and save more than 4.3 million lives by 2100, according to the FDA. Within just the first year, more than 12.9 million smokers would quit, with that number climbing to 19.5 million after five years. 

Without question, quitting nicotine is hard. This rule offers a chance to address the root of the problem — the addictive nature of these products — and save future generations from a lifetime of nicotine addiction.