The South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has praised the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) announcement of a bold plan to drastically reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes, aiming to make them minimal or non-addictive. If enacted, this groundbreaking initiative would make the United States the first country to take such significant steps in addressing smoking-related diseases and deaths.
The proposed regulation seeks to cap nicotine levels in cigarettes and other tobacco products, a move that could have a transformative impact on public health by reducing nicotine addiction.
Dr. Catherine Egbe, Senior Specialist Scientist at the SAMRC, believes that in addition to limiting nicotine, a ban on flavoured nicotine products would be instrumental in curbing nicotine addiction. “At low nicotine levels, smokers would no longer be able to sustain addiction, which is a key factor in the harmful effects of smoking,” Dr. Egbe explained. “Nicotine is the addictive substance that keeps people hooked on cigarettes, and reducing its presence would significantly lower addiction rates. This is particularly impactful given that 80-90% of smokers start as teenagers. Reducing access to addictive products would prevent a large portion of young people from picking up the habit.”
Dr. Egbe also emphasized the importance of banning flavoured nicotine products, citing research that shows such flavours attract younger audiences. This combined approach, she believes, could greatly reduce the number of new smokers and help combat the long-term health consequences of tobacco use.