Trump’s Next Move Could Slam the Door on Biden’s Nicotine Crackdown

Trump’s so-called "nicotine freedom crusade" is gunning for Biden-era tobacco rules, and experts say the next move could officially bury the previous administration’s nicotine restrictions for good.

Back when Biden was still in office, the FDA proposed a rule to slash nicotine levels in cigarettes and other tobacco products, aiming to make them minimally or nonaddictive. The plan? Cap cigarettes at 0.7 milligrams of nicotine per gram of tobacco—supposedly low enough to break the addiction cycle.

The FDA claimed this wouldn’t amount to a cigarette ban, but critics remained unconvinced. Many are now hopeful that Trump will keep pushing to overturn what they call overreaching regulation and let the smoke (and sales) keep rolling.

Rich Marianos, a former ATF assistant director and executive director of the Tobacco Law Enforcement Network, didn’t mince words, calling Biden’s policy a "hamfisted" mess of bureaucracy and prohibition. He argues that these rules have fueled black markets—from cigarettes to Chinese vapes—and sees Trump as the one to "put the nail in the coffin of that failed era."

Small business advocates, like Peter Brennan of the New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association, are also on edge. He says "prohibitionist tobacco policy" doesn’t just hurt big tobacco but punishes local stores by pushing sales onto the streets and into the hands of the illicit market. Brennan summed up the mood: "We are hopeful that President Trump will help America’s convenience stores by putting a stop to this disastrous idea."

Since taking office, Trump has already taken a few swings at nicotine restrictions, including pulling the plug on a proposed menthol cigarette ban—something anti-smoking groups had championed. Not long after, FDA Tobacco Director Brian King, a key player in the menthol debate, was ousted from his post, a move that critics of the ban celebrated as a win for smokers’ rights.

Republican strategists close to Trump say repealing the Biden-era rule on low-nicotine cigarettes is the "logical next step"—and the ultimate blow to what they call Biden’s "war on nicotine."

Meanwhile, Biden’s tough stance on nicotine and the rise of illicit Chinese vapes have drawn plenty of criticism, with some suggesting it has even hurt his campaign and that of Kamala Harris, who eventually replaced him on the ticket.

For now, all eyes are on Trump’s next move. If he does scrap the low-nicotine rule, supporters say it’ll be a major win for working-class Americans and convenience store owners alike. Whether it’s a victory for public health, though—that’s a debate that’s nowhere close to burning out.