Zeller credited Gottlieb for advocating for the nicotine regulation within the Trump White House, after the Obama administration had fallen short. Obama officials had promised Zeller they would back rules to curb nicotine and menthol.

Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center of Tobacco Products, said Wednesday that reducing the amount of nicotine in tobacco products to the levels proposed in the new rule should significantly reduce their addictive qualities, making it easier for individuals to quit.

Temple pulmonologist Dr. Jamie Garfield says the proposed regulation is an effective harm reduction strategy, but suggests it will take a significant lobbying effort for it to go into effect.