CHICAGO — A low-nicotine cigarette to help consumers “smoke less” has been launched in a pilot program in the Chicago area this week.
The smokes, called VLN King and VLN Menthol King, are the first combustible cigarettes to gain authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as products that can help consumers reduce their exposure and use of nicotine, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The cigarettes, made by Buffalo, New York-based 22nd Century Group, contain 95% less nicotine than traditional cigarettes, according to the newspaper. They are available at Circle K stores in the Chicago area, the company said in a news release. They will cost between $9 to $12, and after the pilot program ends, 22nd Century Group plans to expand nationwide to more than 7,000 stores in 48 states, WMAQ-TV reported.
The company produces the cigarettes by genetically modifying the roots of tobacco plants, causing them to produce less nicotine, the Tribune reported.
“Studies show that at least half of all adult smokers try to quit each year,” James A. Mish, CEO of 22nd Century Group, said in a statement. “VLN cigarettes give them an alternative that tastes, smells and burns like a cigarette but greatly reduces their nicotine consumption.”
The FDA is requiring that 22nd Century Group include the phrase “Helps you smoke less,” when advertising the cigarettes, the Tribune reported. The cigarette packages must also carry conventional warnings about the dangers of any cigarette, such as cancer, heart disease and exposure to carbon monoxide.
The special authorization does not mean the products are FDA approved or considered safe, according to the newspaper. They are intended for current smokers.
“More than 30 million Americans still smoke despite decades-long attempts to migrate smokers to other forms of nicotine delivery, taxing cigarettes, banning public smoking, and numerous education campaigns about the dangers of smoking,” Michael Zercher, president and CEO of 22nd Century Group, said in a statement. “(The) 22nd Century Group is the only company approaching the problem by removing the addictive element from combustible cigarettes, an approach the FDA projects could save 8 million lives by the end of the decade if the nicotine levels of all cigarettes were to be reduced to the levels achieved by VLN.”
The FDA regulates their manufacture, import, packaging, labeling, advertising, promotion, sale and distribution, the Tribune reported.
“Having options like these products authorized today, which contain less nicotine and are reasonably likely to reduce nicotine dependence, may help adult smokers,” Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in December, according to the newspaper. “If adult smokers were less addicted to combusted cigarettes, they would likely smoke less and may be exposed to fewer harmful chemicals that cause tobacco-related disease and death.”
The percentage of people who smoke cigarettes in the U.S. has dropped dramatically over the years, from 20.9% of the population in 2005 to 12.5% in 2020 -- more than 30 million people -- according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tariq Butt, president of the Chicago Medical Society, said the VLN cigarettes are an option that doctors might consider to help smokers reduce their smoking.
“As a primary care physician, I’ve lost patients because they were unable to quit smoking,” Butt said in a news release. “We can’t ignore new products that could help people smoke less. If the FDA says this reduced nicotine cigarette will help people smoke less, then as doctors it’s something we need to consider for patients.”