CHEST Comments on Nicotine Yield in Cigarettes and Other Products
October 1, 2025
As part of its decades-long leadership in advancing public health and reducing tobacco-related harm, CHEST submitted a comment to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to the proposed rule Tobacco Product Standard for Nicotine Yield of Cigarettes and Certain Other Combusted Tobacco Products.
CHEST has historically championed evidence-based tobacco control policies and views nicotine reduction as a necessary but incomplete evolution in the FDA’s regulatory framework—one that must be paired with broader product standards, enforcement, and cessation support.
Drawing on the expertise of CHEST’s Tobacco and Vaping Work Group members, CHEST offered the following recommendations to strengthen the rule:
- Expand nicotine limits to include heated tobacco and other addictive products
- Clarify that flavored products are not safe cessation tools
- Prevent unauthorized marketing targeting youth
- Support research on nicotine reduction in e-cigarettes
- Implement the rule immediately, rather than delaying two years
- Publicly fund enforcement, surveillance, and cessation support
- Incentivize organizations that promote tobacco cessation
For future regulations, CHEST urges the FDA to:
- Close the synthetic nicotine loophole
- Ensure equitable access to cessation products and services
- Promote innovation in cessation therapies beyond just measuring abstinence
READ THE FULL COMMENT LETTER »
Additionally, CHEST joined more than 70 organizations by signing on to comments led by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Aligning with CHEST’s recommendations, the comment letter urges the FDA to commit to a comprehensive regulatory approach that strengthens the rule and stresses to the public, particularly young people, that any use of these products will continue to carry substantial health risks.