The United States could become the first country to regulate cigarettes ... which aren't addictive.
In a statement released on July 28, the Federal Food and Drug Administration announced a plan to reduce the level of nicotine in cigarettes to a point where the product would cease to create dependency. In particular, this plan would target young people: reducing the likelihood that they would develop cigarette addiction early in their lives would reduce the risk of developing tobacco-related diseases later. In addition, there is already a scientific literature supporting a link between addiction and nicotine.
The problem, says the New Scientist, is however economic: any country that will impose the sale of cigarettes with low nicotine will expose itself to the risk of seeing a black market of cigarettes deemed "normal" by smokers. The plan also targets electronic cigarettes that the FDA would like to classify as "cessation products". Welcomed by the anti-smoking groups, the announcement could be met with prosecution by the tobacco companies.
