Survey Finds Broad Support for Lowering Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Office on Smoking and Health has released a report showing broad support among U.S. adults for lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes.

Below is a comment from Cliff Douglas, JD, American Cancer Society vice president of tobacco control about the survey.

“Eliminating the addictiveness of their products is the tobacco industry’s greatest fear, and the reason why industry leaders have already signaled that they will sue to block the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from mandating such action.

“The new study released by CDC shows substantial, and growing, public support for reducing nicotine in combustible tobacco products to non-addictive levels.  It notes that the scientific underpinning for such action also continues to grow, supporting previous findings that eliminating addiction to cigarettes could bring historic public health benefits.

“The study cites an FDA report that implementation of such a policy could result in approximately 5 million fewer smokers in just the first year, rapidly averting well over 2 million smoking-related deaths.

“Importantly, the study reports that its survey of a nationally representative sample of more than 4000 adults age 18 and older found widespread support for reducing the nicotine content in cigarettes to non-addictive levels.  More than 80% of current smokers, former smokers and non-smokers favored requiring lowering nicotine levels.”