The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is trying to reduce the level of nicotine that cigarettes and other burnt tobacco products can contain.

The agency seeks to do that through a rule proposed Wednesday that FDA Commissioner Dr Robert Califf said it “could save many lives and dramatically reduce the burden of serious illness and disability, while saving huge amounts of money” if completed.

Cigarettes and “certain other burned tobacco products” could have no more than 0.7 milligrams of nicotine per gram of tobacco under the proposed rule, according to the FDA. The agency said a lower level of nicotine “would be low enough to stop creating or maintaining addiction.”

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is trying to reduce the level of nicotine that cigarettes and other burnt tobacco products can contain. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images/Getty Images)

Cigarette tobacco, rolling tobacco, most cigars and pipe tobacco are among the burned tobacco products that would be subject to the nicotine limit in addition to cigarettes.

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The FDA wants the rule to take effect two years after the publication of a final rule on the subject.

Citing public health models, the agency predicted the rule could “prevent approximately 48 million American youth and young adults from starting to smoke” by the beginning of the next century.

If finalized, it could also cause more than 12.9 million smokers to quit cigarettes, “including those who would switch completely to smokeless tobacco products” a year after it takes effect, the FDA said.

Cigarette tobacco, rolling tobacco, most cigars and pipe tobacco are among the burned tobacco products that would be subject to the nicotine limit in addition to cigarettes. (iStock/iStock)

The agency said a switch to “lower-risk tobacco products” would “reduce exposure to the many harmful chemicals present in cigarettes and other burned tobacco products” among adult smokers.

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The limit has the potential to help avoid 1.8 million deaths related to tobacco by 2060, according to the agency.

“This proposal starts an important conversation about how we can meaningfully address one of the deadliest consumer products in history and profoundly change the landscape of tobacco product use in the United States,” said Brian King, director of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products. a statement

The FDA has previously indicated that it wanted to pursue limiting tobacco levels in cigarettes.

Citing public health models, the agency predicted the rule could “prevent approximately 48 million American youth and young adults from starting to smoke” by the beginning of the next century. (Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images/Getty Images)

The rule proposed Wednesday “would not ban” cigarettes or other similar products, according to the agency.

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A survey published by Gallup in August found that 11% of American adults had smoked cigarettes in the past week. Meanwhile, 7% reported use of electronic cigaretteshe said

According to the FDA, e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, unburnt cigarettes, waterpipe smokeless tobacco products and premium cigars would not be affected by the proposed rule.

The rule will be open for public comment starting Thursday through Sept. 15, the agency said.