Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes Could Aid Smokers in Their Quitting Efforts

Reduced-Nicotine Cigarettes: A Stepping Stone to Quitting

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed a rule to drastically reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products. The goal is to help smokers move away from these deadly products by providing a path for people to reduce their nicotine intake.

What’s Behind Reduced-Nicotine Cigarettes?

Nicotine, a highly addictive chemical, is what keeps people smoking. It’s not just the buzz from nicotine that makes it hard to quit; the symptoms of withdrawal can be overwhelming. Regular cigarettes generally contain around 16 milligrams of nicotine per gram of tobacco. The FDA proposes reducing this amount to 0.7 milligrams in cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products.

The Science Behind Reduced-Nicotine Cigarettes

Numerous randomized clinical trials have looked at how smokers do when using reduced-nicotine cigarettes compared with regular cigarettes. These studies have found that people who use reduced-nicotine cigarettes smoke significantly fewer cigarettes per day than those who use regular cigarettes. For example, a trial that followed close to 800 people for six weeks found that participants assigned to smoke cigarettes with 2.4 milligrams of nicotine or less smoked about five or six fewer cigarettes per day.

Reduced-Nicotine Cigarettes: A Stepping Stone to Quitting

While reduced-nicotine cigarettes may not be a magic solution, they can help smokers reduce their nicotine intake and eventually quit. The behaviors associated with smoking – such as getting the cigarette out of the box, lighting it, and inhaling the smoke – have been paired with nicotine delivery for so long that people start to experience a mood boost just from doing these behaviors. This can make it easier for people to cut back on smoking.

The Potential Benefits of Reduced-Nicotine Cigarettes

Reduced-nicotine cigarettes could give smokers another approach to wean their dependence on nicotine. Considering how difficult quitting can be, the more options available, the better. The goal is not to help people continue using reduced-nicotine cigarettes but rather to provide a stepping stone to quitting altogether.

What’s Next?

The FDA rule is just one step toward reduced-nicotine cigarettes becoming the standard. This process will likely take many years, depending on future administrations and whether the tobacco industry challenges the rule in court. However, with the growing evidence supporting drastically lowering the amount of nicotine in combusted tobacco products, there’s potential for smokers to eventually switch to less harmful noncombusted nicotine delivery options.

Reduced-Nicotine Cigarettes: A New Approach to Quitting

Reduced-nicotine cigarettes may not be a cure-all for smoking addiction, but they can provide a much-needed stepping stone to quitting. By reducing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products, smokers may finally have a chance to break their addiction altogether.

Additional Resources:

• “Adult Smoking Cessation — United States, 2022″

  • Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

  • Vol. 73, July 25, 2024, p. 633.

  • doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7329a1

• “Tobacco and Nicotine Use”

  • Nature Reviews Disease Primers

  • Vol. 8, March 24, 2022.

  • doi: 10.1038/s41572-022-00346-w