Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Denver news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Des Moines news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Minneapolis-St. Paul news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Tampa Bay news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Charlotte news in your inbox
Catch up on the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Bobby Caina Calvan / AP
In a surprise move, the Food and Drug Administration announced today that it plans to begin lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes to levels considered non-addictive, as it pegged tobacco use as "the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States."
From FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb: "The overwhelming amount of death and disease attributable to tobacco is caused by addiction to cigarettes — the only legal consumer product that, when used as intended, will kill half of all long-term users."
Why it matters: It's a huge public health move — and one that could serve as the death knell to the tobacco industry. Per Bloomberg, stock for the Altria Group, Philip Morris' parent company, had dropped as much as 19% this morning while British American Tobacco had plunged 11%.