DeLauro, House Dems Support FDA Push to Reduce Nicotine in Cigarettes

WASHINGTON, DC (May 25, 2018) — Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) wrote a letter with 39 of her House Democratic colleagues to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb supporting the Administration's proposed rule to reduce the level of nicotine in cigarettes to a minimally or non-addictive level. The rule stands aims to reduce tobacco use in our nation by protecting youth from becoming life-long smokers and helping adult smokers quit.

"Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in our nation. Each year, 480,000 Americans die as a result of tobacco use. More than 37 million Americans currently smoke, and greater than 16 million Americans are currently living with a tobacco-caused disease," wrote the Members. "Cigarettes are the only legal consumer product that kills half its long-term users when used as intended. Ninety percent of adult smokers began smoking as teenagers or earlier, nearly seventy percent of adult smokers want to quit smoking, and seventy to ninety percent of adult smokers wish they had never started. A nicotine standard would reduce the likelihood that kids who experiment with cigarettes in their youth become addicted lifelong smokers and would help adults who have struggled to stop smoking to quit successfully. "

"The potential benefits of adopting a nicotine standard are extraordinary," continued the Members. "Recent analysis suggests that this plan would prevent more than 33 million youth and young adults from becoming smokers this century and would encourage 5 million smokers to quit within the first year. More than 8 million lives would be saved by the end of this century. No other FDA action on tobacco could come close to achieving such significant results."

A copy of the full letter can be found here.

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