AS THE leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, tobacco use, mostly as cigarette smoking, kills more than 480,000 Americans every single year, according to a statement by US Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb.
The data has prompted Gottlieb to announce an advanced notice of a proposed rulemaking which will see the agency explore a product standard to lower nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels.
Supporting the proposal, Gottlieb said, "Tobacco use also costs nearly $300 billion a year in direct health care and lost productivity.
"In fact, cigarettes are the only legal consumer product that, when used as intended, will kill half of all long-term users."
Some issues he flagged for consideration were how quickly the new standard should be implemented and what unintended consequences, such as the potential for illicit trade or for addicted smokers to compensate for lower nicotine by smoking more, might occur as a result.
Access the full Gottlieb statement at fda.gov.
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