It is planned to reduce the nicotine content of cigarettes sold in the USA to minimum or non-addictive levels.
The White House has announced plans to drastically reduce cancer deaths, a goal of the Biden administration.
However, the measures are expected to be opposed by the tobacco industry.
Smoking is still the nation’s leading cause of death, with 480,000 deaths a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical found in tobacco products.
In the statement made by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it was emphasized that, in accordance with the plans, a maximum nicotine ratio will be determined in cigarettes and some other tobacco products will be “stopped”.
FDA Member Dr. “Making cigarettes or other combustible tobacco products with little or no addiction helps save lives,” said Robert M Califf.
Dr. Calif also emphasized that reducing the nicotine content in cigarettes will reduce the likelihood of young people becoming addicted to cigarettes and will help current smokers to quit smoking.
An estimated 30.8 million adults smoked in the US in 2020. The U.S. Department of Health says 87% of adult smokers start smoking by the time they turn 18.
The Biden administration aims to halve cancer deaths over the next 25 years.
But experts say it will take at least a year for the FDA, which oversees cigarettes, to set the rules, and opposition from the tobacco industry could delay the process further, according to the Washington Post.
The newspaper wrote that the tobacco industry may also bring the final regulation to the court.