For too long, tobacco addiction has destroyed the health of its users and laid waste to the public healthcare systems the world over. It is time for something different. Frustrated by the country’s stagnating smoking rate, one year ago, Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, announced that the agency would pursue a plan to limit nicotine in cigarettes to “minimally or non-addictive levels.” Gottlieb went on to explain, “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.”

The stakes are high, but the science behind FDA’s nicotine reduction plan is sound. Though traditional tobacco companies have already raised objections, Very Low Nicotine Content, or VLNC, cigarettes are well-studied by a diverse and independent cadre of independent scientists. The National Institutes of Health has funded dozens of important clinical trials employing VLNC cigarettes. The results: Scientists have found that VLNC cigarettes reduce cravings, reduce consumption of cigarettes, and increase quit attempts. Further, the benefits of VLNC cigarettes appear to extend to adolescents, nondaily smokers, and vulnerable population groups including those with psychiatric disorders and opioid dependence.