By: Brad Chen

Nicotine is the cause of a deadly addiction, causing around 480,000 deaths and many health issues annually in the US, and the FDA is trying to stop it.

Instead of cutting down the harmful products in tobacco, the FDA is looking to eliminate nicotine, the ingredient that makes tobacco highly addictive. Many are hoping for a 95% reduction in nicotine, a number proven by federal studies that make smoking the easiest to quit.

This June, the Biden administration addressed the nationwide tobacco crisis by announcing a new proposal that would make the FDA reduce the amount of nicotine allowed in tobacco. The administration aims to create a complete proposal by next May.

The potential of this proposal is great, and this was outlined by a study done by The New England Journal of Medicine. It stated that if a nicotine standard was set, then by 2100, the smoking rate would drop from 12.5% to 1.4%, preventing 33 million regular smokers, and saving 8 million lives

However, there is just one thing preventing this from becoming reality: the harsh symptoms of withdrawal. When an individual consumes nicotine regularly, their body adjusts to the intake in its natural balance, so when it is taken away, it can be both physically and mentally painful for the individual.

For now, it seems that plenty of debate and revisions to the proposal will occur until it has the chance of being passed into law.