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Currency: Article last updated on August 2 2017.
Relevance: This article talks about the Food and Drug Administration reducing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes.
Authority: Robert N. Proctor
Accuracy: Uses a reference page and cites sources.
Purpose: Educate/Inform/Greater good

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A lightning bolt struck the tobacco world last Friday when the Food and Drug Administration announced a plan aimed at reducing the nicotine in cigarettes to a nonaddictive level. Within an hour, the value of global tobacco stocks plummeted - and for good reason.

The new F.D.A. chief, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, didn't mince words in making the announcement. He noted that tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, resulting in nearly half a million annual fatalities. And he pointed out that the cigarette is the only consumer product that kills when used as directed - half of its long-term users, in fact - and that nicotine is the root cause of cigarette addiction.

Reducing nicotine in cigarettes so that they are "minimally or nonaddictive," he asserted, "is a cornerstone of our new and more comprehensive approach to effective tobacco regulation."

This is exceptionally good news for tobacco control, and for human health. A legal cap on the nicotine in cigarettes could be one of the most important interventions in human health history. The point is not that nicotine itself causes cancer (it's the other chemical compounds in the smoke), but rather that by rewiring the brain, nicotine acts as the driver to keep smokers smoking. Nearly everyone who smokes long-term is addicted.

Cigarettes with nonaddictive nicotine levels would be radically different from what used to be known as "low tar" or "light" cigarettes, marketing gimmicks now barred by law. Those cigarettes were advertised as delivering less nicotine and tar into the lungs, even though there was no actual reduction.

Under the F.D.A. proposal, nicotine in cigarettes would be set at a level so low that smokers would not be able to extract enough to create or sustain addiction. Cigarette makers today keep the nicotine at between 1 and 2 percent by weight, having found this to be the Goldilocks optimum, neither too harsh nor too mild. Reducing this percentage by a factor of 10 would make it very difficult for cigarettes to become addictive. Reducing it even further would make addiction virtually impossible. Kids might start smoking, but they wouldn't have trouble quitting.

The beauty of the Tobacco Control Act signed by President Barack Obama in 2009 is that while the F.D.A. is barred from requiring the removal of all nicotine from cigarettes, or from banning cigarettes altogether, the agency can set a maximum nicotine level in the interest of public health. So though the tobacco industry cannot be forced to reduce nicotine to zero, it could be required to cut the level by, say, 99 percent.

Nicotine is water-soluble and easy to remove by simply soaking the tobacco leaf. Nicotine-free cigarettes date from the 19th century, and sophisticated techniques developed after World War II allow the manufacture of cigarettes with any nicotine level desired in the finished leaf.

In the 1980s, genetic engineering produced tobacco plants that were entirely free of nicotine. Philip Morris even rolled out three brands of cigarettes from which 97 percent of the nicotine had been removed - Merit De-Nic, Benson & Hedges De-Nic and Next. But sales were disappointing, in part because high-nicotine cigarettes remained on the market, and the industry's campaign to deny all evidence of harm precluded an advertising campaign highlighting the benefits of these new products.

Of course, we can expect the industry to fight this new proposal, which threatens the historical mainstay of their business. It will claim that lowering the nicotine in cigarettes to such a low level amounts to a de facto ban, which is prohibited by the F.D.A.'s charter. Tobacco companies no doubt will warn of the rise of a bootleg-era black market for high-nicotine cigarettes.

The industry would still be able to sell nicotine in other forms, like e-cigarettes, nicotine orbs, sticks and lozenges, for example, and gums and patches. And people would still be able to buy cigarettes. But the important point is that they would also be able to quit at will. Smoking would return to being a matter of free choice.

Cigarette makers themselves have started to claim they to want to move smokers away from traditional cigarettes to other alternatives, like smoke-free products. Philip Morris has spent over $3 billion on this post-cigarette push, and in Britain the company has been reportedly paying people to persuade people to quit. "We are absolutely serious - one day we want to stop selling cigarettes," a company executive said.

How quickly will the F.D.A. move to establish a nicotine standard? One worrisome sign is that the plan is part of a "multiyear road map." But there is an urgency here that should not be forgotten. Dr. Gottlieb himself warned that if present consumption rates continue into the 2050s, 17 million more Americans will lose their lives to tobacco.

If the industry is serious about what it claims to want, maybe cigarette makers should sit down with the F.D.A. and hammer out a plan to end this catastrophic and entirely preventable epidemic.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A21 of the New York edition with the headline: Taking the Craving Out of Smoking. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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Opinion | Taking the Addiction Out of Smoking

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A lightning bolt struck the tobacco world last Friday when the Food and Drug Administration announced a plan aimed at reducing the nicotine in cigarettes to a nonaddictive level. Within an hour, the value of global tobacco stocks plummeted - and for good reason. The new F.D.A.

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Currency: November 10, 2016
Relevance: Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of cancer and cancer deaths.
Authority: Office of the Associate Director for Communications (OADC)
Accuracy: PHD or MD from all research participants
Purpose: because smoking is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of cancer and cancer deaths. It can cause not only lung cancer - but also cancers of the mouth and throat, voice box, esophagus, stomach, kidney, pancreas, liver, bladder, cervix, colon and rectum, and a type of leukemia. Each year, 660,000 people in the US are diagnosed with and 343,000 people die from a cancer related to tobacco use. We have made progress: more than 1 million tobacco-related cancer deaths have been avoided since 1990 because of comprehensive cancer and tobacco control programs, early detection of cancer, and improvements in cancer treatment. However, not all states or all people have experienced the benefits of these efforts. When states make greater and longer investments in comprehensive cancer and tobacco control programs, fewer people use tobacco and get or die from tobacco-related cancers.

States and communities can:

Support comprehensive cancer control programs focusing on cancer prevention, education, screening, access to care, support for cancer survivors, and good health for all.

Fund comprehensive tobacco prevention and control programs at CDC-recommended levels.

Make tobacco cessation treatments more available to people who want to quit.

Protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke in all indoor public places and worksites, including all restaurants, bars, and casinos.

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Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of cancer and cancer deaths. It can cause not only lung cancer - but also cancers of the mouth and throat, voice box, esophagus, stomach, kidney, pancreas, liver, bladder, cervix, colon and rectum, and a type of leukemia.

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Currency:  Article last updated on Thu 27 July 2017
Relevance: Tells about the harmful effects of smoking on the human body and health.
Authority: Tom Seymour
Accuracy: - Has a full reference and citation section
- Facts are not outrageous and are all familiar
Purpose: Educate/Inform/Warning

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Smoking damages nearly every organ in the body and is bad for a person's overall health. People can significantly reduce their chance of smoking-related disease by giving it up.

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of early disease and death in the United States. Giving up smoking is difficult for many people, but the number of former smokers is increasing all the time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), current smoking in the U.S. has declined from 20.9% in 2005 to 13.7% in 2018. The number of smokers who have quit is also rising.

In this article, we look at the health impact of smoking, including its effects on the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system. We also discuss the benefits of quitting.

Every year, more than 480,000 people die in the U.S. due to tobacco-related diseases - around 1 in 5 of all deaths - according to the American Cancer Society.

They also state that around of people in the U.S. who keep smoking will die from smoking-related causes.

Life expectancy is at least 10 years less for smokers compared with nonsmokers. The American Cancer Society state that smoking shortens lifespan by about 12 years in males and 11 years in females.

The comment that smoking causes more deaths in the U.S. each year than the following combined:

motor vehicle injuries

alcohol or illicit drug use

firearm-related incidents

Tobacco contains poisonous substances that affect people's health. Two of these poisons are:

Carbon monoxide. Car exhaust fumes also produce this substance, and it is fatal in large doses. It replaces oxygen in the blood and starves the organs of oxygen, stopping them from functioning correctly.

Tar. This is a sticky, brown substance that coats the lungs and affects breathing.

While the statistics are alarming, it is important to bear in mind that giving up smoking reduces the risk of disease dramatically.

Below, we discuss the impact smoking can have on different parts of the body.

Smoking can increase the likelihood of having a stroke by . Strokes can cause brain damage and death.

One way that stroke can cause brain injury is through a brain aneurysm, which occurs when the wall of a blood vessel weakens and creates a bulge. This bulge can burst and cause a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which can lead to a stroke.

Chemicals in tobacco smoke increase the chance of heart problems and cardiovascular diseases.

Smoking causes atherosclerosis, which is when plaque builds up in the blood and sticks to the artery walls. This makes them narrower, reducing blood flow and increasing the risk of blood clots.

Smoking also damages the blood vessels, making them thicker and narrower. This makes it harder for blood to flow, and also increases blood pressure and heart rate.

Smoking has links with the following cardiovascular conditions:

coronary heart disease, one of the leading causes of death in the U.S

a heart attack, as smoking doubles the risk of heart attack

blockages that reduce blood flow to the skin and legs

stroke due to blood clots or burst blood vessels in the brain

Even smokers who smoke cigarettes a day may develop early signs of cardiovascular disease.

Carbon monoxide and nicotine make the heart work harder and faster. This means that smoking makes it more challenging to exercise. A lack of exercise further increases the risk of health problems.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), smoking reduces bone density, making the bones weaker and more brittle. Smoking can also impair bone healing after a fracture.

Researchers find it difficult to say whether this is a direct effect of smoking, or due to other risk factors prevalent in people who smoke. These include lower body weight and doing less physical exercise.

This may affect females than males. Females are more prone to osteoporosis and broken bones.

Quitting smoking, even later in life, can help limit bone loss linked with smoking.

The immune system protects the body against infection and disease.

According to one , smoking reduces immune function and causes inflammation in the body. This can lead to autoimmune conditions, including:

Smoking also has links with type 2 diabetes.

The lungs are perhaps the most obvious organ that smoking affects.

It often takes many years before a person notices any symptoms of smoking-related lung disease. This means that people may not receive a diagnosis until the disease is quite advanced.

Smoking can impact the lungs in several ways. The primary reason is that smoking damages the airways and air sacs - known as alveoli - in the lungs.

Three of the most common smoking-related lung conditions in the U.S. are:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a long-term disease. It causes wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

Chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis occurs when the airways produce too much mucus. This leads to a long-lasting cough and inflamed airways. Over time, scar tissue and mucus can completely block the airways and cause infection.

Emphysema: Emphysema is a type of COPD that reduces the number of alveoli and breaks down the walls between them. This makes it difficult to breathe, even at rest, and over time, a person may need an oxygen mask.

Other lung diseases caused by smoking include pneumonia, asthma, and tuberculosis.

Smoking can have several effects on oral health and may cause:

Smoking irritates the gum tissues. The American Dental Association (ADA) state that smoking increases the risk of gum disease, which can add to halitosis.

Smoking affect the reproductive system and fertility.

Females who smoke can have more difficulty becoming pregnant. In males, smoking can cause impotence by damaging blood vessels in the penis. It can also damage sperm and affect sperm count.

premature birth

pregnancy loss

low birth weight

sudden infant death syndrome

infant illnesses

According to some studies, males who smoke have a lower sperm count than those who do not.

Smoking while pregnant increases a number of risks for the baby, including:

facial wrinkles, especially around the lips

baggy eyelids

uneven skin coloring, such as a yellow or gray tone

dry, coarse skin

temporary yellowing of the fingers and fingernails

Smoking reduces the amount of oxygen that can reach the skin. This speeds up the aging process and can make skin appear dull or gray.

Smoking can cause:

Smoking reduces how quickly skin wounds heal, increases the risk of skin infections, and increases the severity of skin conditions, including psoriasis.

Smoking increases the risk of many types of cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, tobacco smoke contains around 7,000 chemicals, of which at least 69 can cause cancer.

Figures from the American Cancer Society state that smoking causes around 30% of all cancer deaths in the U.S., and 80% of all lung cancer deaths.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. It is one of the most difficult to treat.
Read more about how smoking affects the body here.
Smoking is a risk factor for the following cancers:

Cigars, pipe-smoking, menthol cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and other forms of tobacco all cause cancer and other health problems. There is no safe way to use tobacco.

While the statistics are alarming, the good news is that quitting smoking reduces the risk of disease and death significantly. The risks drop further, the longer a person refrains from smoking.

Cardiovascular risks: After 1 year of quitting, the risk of having a heart attack drops sharply.

Stroke: Within 2-5 years, the risk of a stroke reduces to half that of a non-smoker.

Cancers: The risks for mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder cancer drop by half within 5 years of quitting, and 10 years for lung cancer.

In fact, some research says that quitting before the age of 40 reduces the risk of dying from smoking-related disease by about 90%.

breathing becomes easier

daily coughing and wheezing reduces then disappears

sense of taste and smell get better

exercise and activities become easier

circulation to the hands and feet improves

Read more about what happens when you quit smoking here.
These statistics illustrate the health benefits of quitting smoking:

Soon after quitting, people experience the following health benefits that can significantly improve their quality of life and serve as reminders of the health benefits that quitting can have:

Though quitting can be stressful, people often start to notice their daily stress levels are much lower than when they were smoking within 6 months or so.

Make lists of reasons why it is a good idea to quit. Read over these when the temptation to smoke strikes.

Use an app to track your progress. Reaching milestones, such as a day without smoking, can help motivate a person to continue. There are many free and paid apps on the market.

Try nicotine replacement products. Nicotine patches, gums, and lozenges can help reduce cravings, making it easier to resist at any particular moment.

Quitting smoking is a different journey for everyone, and what works for one person will not always work for the next. Try out a few different ways to see which ones work best.

When trying to quit smoking, these tips may help:

Many people find that reaching out to a healthcare provider for support can help them quit for good. A doctor can prescribe medication, such as varenicline (Chantix). currently recommend this as a first-line therapy for people who want to quit smoking.

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Smoking damages nearly every organ in the body and is bad for a person's overall health. People can significantly reduce their chance of smoking-related disease by giving it up. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of early disease and death in the United States.

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Currency: Page last updated on December 19th 2017

Relevance: This article informs people of the FDA regulation on cigarettes, manufacturing cigarettes, retail sales of cigarettes, and importing of cigarettes.

Authority: The FDA (Food and Drug Administration)

Accuracy: The FDA is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services

Purpose: This information exists so that people can learn the true dangers of smoking cigarettes and what goes on behind the scenes.

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The basic components of most cigarettes are tobacco, chemical additives, a filter, and paper wrapping. Smokers are exposed to a toxic mix of over 7,000 chemicals when they inhale cigarette smoke. The harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage many parts of the body, including the heart and lungs or cause cancer. Nonsmokers are exposed to many of these same chemicals through secondhand smoke.

On this page, you can find information about:

Statistics about Cigarette Use

Every day, on average, nearly 2,300 youth under age 18 smoke their first cigarette and nearly 400 youth under age 18 become daily smokers.

Nationwide, 8% of high school students (1.1 million) and 2.2% of middle school students (250,000) currently smoke cigarettes.

FDA Regulation of Cigarettes

FDA regulates the manufacture, import, packaging, labeling, advertising, promotion, sale, and distribution of cigarettes, including components, parts, and accessories, under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and its implementing regulations.

Learn more about federal requirements limiting the sale, distribution, and marketing of cigarettes.

In July 2017, the FDA announced a comprehensive plan for tobacco and nicotine regulation that will serve as a multi-year roadmap to better protect kids and significantly reduce tobacco-related disease and death, including pursuing lowering nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels.

Manufacturing Cigarettes

If you make, modify, mix, manufacture, fabricate, assemble, process, label, repack, relabel, or import cigarettes, you must comply with these requirements for manufacturers.

CTP's Office of Small Business Assistance can answer specific questions about requirements of small businesses and how to comply with the law. This office also provides online educational resources to help regulated industry understand FDA regulations and policies.

Retail Sales of Cigarettes

If you sell cigarettes, please read this summary of federal rules that retailers must follow. In addition, our website provides more information on regulations, guidance and webinars for retailers.

Click on the flyer thumbnail image to order printed materials from CTP's Exchange Lab or to download a PDF to print yourself.

Importing Cigarettes

Tobacco products imported or offered for import into the United States must comply with all the applicable requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). You can find more information on the Importing and Exporting webpage.

You can also learn more about the importation process in the FDA Regulatory Procedures Manual, Chapter 9, Import Operations and Actions.

If you have questions about importing a specific tobacco product, please contact the FDA district into which your product will be imported (PDF - 406 KB).

Reporting Adverse Experiences and Product Violations

If you have experienced an unexpected health or safety issue with a specific tobacco product, you can report your adverse experience to FDA. Knowledge about adverse experiences can help FDA identify health or safety issues beyond those normally associated with product use.

If you believe these products are being sold to minors, or you see another potential violation of the FD&C Act or FDA's tobacco regulations, report the potential violation.

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The basic components of most cigarettes are tobacco, chemical additives, a filter, and paper wrapping. Smokers are exposed to a toxic mix of over 7,000 chemicals when they inhale cigarette smoke. The harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage many parts of the body, including the heart and lungs or cause cancer.