US FDA Completes Review Of Plan To Reduce Nicotine Content in Cigarettes, Critics Say It Will Foster Organized Crime

US FDA completes review of plan to reduce nicotine content in cigarettes, critics say it will foster organized crime

The Biden administration in the United States is promoting a plan to reduce the nicotine content of cigarettes. The FDA has completed its review. It is not clear whether the FDA will issue relevant proposed regulations before Biden leaves office. The final decision on the plan will be controlled by the relevant person in charge nominated by the future Republican Party.

According to a report by NY Post on January 7, the Biden administration in the United States is promoting a plan to be implemented in the final stage of Biden's presidency, requiring the reduction of nicotine content in cigarettes. Critics say this may cause Americans to smoke more and breed organized crime groups.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (hereinafter referred to as "FDA") announced that it had just completed a regulatory review of the plan last week. "The proposed rule "Tobacco Product Standards for Nicotine Content of Certain Tobacco Products" was shown in the ROCIS system of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as having completed the regulatory review on January 3."

It is reported that the plan claims to be aimed at reducing the addictiveness of cigarettes to general users. However, opponents believe that this change may cause existing smokers to use more cigarettes to make up for the reduced nicotine content and may open up opportunities for black market sales of standard content cigarettes.

Rich Marianos, former assistant director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told Fox News that the ban was a "gift" to organized crime groups that would keep Americans smoking and fuel street violence.

It's unclear whether the FDA will issue a proposed rule on the regulation before Biden leaves office on January 20. The plan was announced in 2022, and the formal proposed rule is expected in 2023. It's unclear why the plan was delayed. Similarly, the FDA's ban on menthol cigarettes has been slow to implement.

Once a draft rule is proposed, it will enter a public notice and comment period, where supporters and opponents will present their arguments before a final decision is made. The process is bound to affect President-elect Donald Trump's administration, and the final decision will be controlled by Republican nominees, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the incoming secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Marty Makary, the incoming FDA commissioner.

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in 2022 that the program will help current smokers and potential future smokers. Many cigarette users have turned to other nicotine delivery options that are considered less risky, such as e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.