Can a new low-nicotine cigarette authorized by the FDA actually help people smoke less?

The VLN smokes are now on the market in Chicago and are the first combustible cigarettes designated as modified risk tobacco products.

By Stephanie Kim
Can a new low-nicotine cigarette authorized by the FDA actually help people smoke less?
The VLN King and Menthol King cigarettes are now available through a national pilot exclusively in select Chicagoland Circle K stores. Courtesy of 22nd Century Group
Can a new low-nicotine cigarette authorized by the FDA actually help people smoke less?
The VLN King and Menthol King cigarettes are now available through a national pilot exclusively in select Chicagoland Circle K stores. Courtesy of 22nd Century Group

Can a new low-nicotine cigarette authorized by the FDA actually help people smoke less?

The VLN smokes are now on the market in Chicago and are the first combustible cigarettes designated as modified risk tobacco products.

By Stephanie Kim
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More than 150 Chicago-area convenience stores are now selling a new low-nicotine cigarette marketed to help you smoke less.The company, 22nd Century Group, is able to market the product in this way after gaining special authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

Reset learns more about this decision, what it means for the tobacco industry at large and why it’s drawn criticism from some medical experts.

GUESTS: Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune health care business reporter

John Pritchard, vice president of regulatory science for 22nd Century Group

Thomas Carr, national director of policy for the American Lung Association