ASTHO Statement on FDA’s Announcement to Reduce Nicotine in Cigarettes

March 16, 2018

ARLINGTON, VA—ASTHO’s chief medical officer, Marcus Plescia, issued the following statement on FDA’s announcement to reduce nicotine in cigarettes: 

“We are pleased that FDA is seeking public comment on a potential product standard to lower nicotine in cigarettes to make them less addictive. This is an important and aggressive intervention to address the tragic burden of tobacco use in this country. The highly addictive qualities of nicotine have led to the premature death and suffering of millions of Americans by making cigarettes hard to quit. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) looks forward to commenting on the proposed rule and we hope FDA will move forward with regulating the nicotine content of combustible cigarettes to prevent disease and save lives attributed to tobacco use.” 

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ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and Washington, D.C., as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in public health practice.