Cigarettes that recently gained authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to be marketed as products that can help smokers cut back are hitting Chicago-area stores this week — the first place in the country where they will be sold.
The cigarettes, called VLN King and VLN Menthol King, are the first combustible cigarettes to gain authorization from the FDA as products that can help reduce exposure to, and consumption of, nicotine for smokers. The cigarettes contain 95% less nicotine than traditional cigarettes. They’re made by 22nd Century Group, a New York-based company that produces them by genetically modifying the roots of tobacco plants so that they produce less nicotine.
The FDA is requiring that the company include the phrase “Helps you smoke less,” when advertising the cigarettes as products that can reduce exposure to nicotine — a decision that has drawn criticism from health advocacy groups.
