Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Administration Weighs New Restrictions On Nicotine In Cigarettes
The Wall Street Journal: Biden Administration Considering Rule To Cut Nicotine In Cigarettes
The Biden administration is considering requiring tobacco companies to lower the nicotine in all cigarettes sold in the U.S. to levels at which they are no longer addictive, according to people familiar with the matter. Administration officials are considering the policy as they approach a deadline for declaring the administration’s intentions on another tobacco question: whether or not to ban menthol cigarettes. (Maloney, 4/19)
CNBC: Tobacco Stocks Drop On Report Biden Is Planning To Limit Cigarette Nicotine
Tobacco stocks tumbled Monday on a report that the Biden administration is considering whether to cap nicotine levels in cigarettes. The report, which cited people familiar with the matter, was published in the Wall Street Journal. The paper said the discussion came as public officials approach a deadline to say whether they plan to seek a ban of menthol cigarettes or not. (Tsai, 4/19)
In other news about cigarettes and e-cigarettes —
The Washington Post: Civil Rights And Black Health Organizations Press Biden Administration To Ban Menthol Cigarettes
Civil rights organizations and African American health groups ramped up pressure on the Biden administration to ban menthol cigarettes, accusing the tobacco industry of targeting Black communities for decades and demanding government action on what they said was an urgent social justice issue. In a letter Friday to Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, 10 groups demanded that the Food and Drug Administration start the regulatory process to ban menthol, saying such a move was long overdue. (McGinley, 4/16)
Los Angeles Times: Tobacco Giant Philip Morris Sees Future Without Cigarettes
The maker of Marlboro and other cigarette brands has a new mission: getting the world’s 1 billion smokers to quit smoking. You read that right. Philip Morris International is trying to persuade customers to switch to its heated tobacco products, which it says are better alternatives because they are smoke-free. Eventually, the company hopes, governments will regulate cigarettes out of existence altogether. (Chang, 4/16)
The Highlander: Fourth Generation Electronic Cigarettes Are Just As Harmful As Older Models
A new UCR study published in March of this year indicates that in spite of evolving differences in design aesthetics, fourth generation electronic cigarettes pod atomizers are actually similar to those from previous generations and can leak harmful substances that lead to potentially serious health and environmental issues. (Garcia, 4/19)
