Canada Mulls Nicotine Cut as New Front Opens Against Smoking

After FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb suggested mandating drastic cuts in nicotine levels, public-health experts in New Zealand last week published an action plan recommending such reductions within five years. Canada and Finland say they‘re looking into regulating amounts of the drug in tobacco products, while officials in the U.K.‘s Department of Health have discussed the U.S. proposal with FDA representatives, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The FDA has „massively raised the attention on reduced-nicotine cigarettes for regulators across the world,“ Clive Bates, a public health consultant, said by phone, adding that the move provides „tremendous impetus“ to the concept of nicotine limits.