The US government’s call for deep nicotine reduction in cigarettes could save millions of lives – an expert who studies tobacco addiction explains

A 95% reduction in the nicotine content of cigars and cigarettes would make these tobacco products largely nonaddictive. Robert Recker/The Image Bank via Getty Images

The cigarette is the only legal consumer product that – when used as intended – causes the premature death of half of long-term users.

To address this long-standing health threat, in late June 2022, the Biden-Harris administration announced a plan to move forward with a new standard for cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products that would make them minimally or nonaddictive.