Cigarettes with ultralow nicotine levels are now being called the game-changer in the fight against smoking. If you are having trouble in quitting smoking, then, it is for you, that soon the Biden White House is expected to formally propose a plan that will order cigarette nicotine levels to be reduced, reports The Washington Post. For now though, it has been a failure, as these cigarettes, also known as VLN cigarettes that stands for very low nicotine are only available in 5,100 stores in 26 states. This is a very small fraction of the overall market for cigarettes. The company that makes it, 22nd Century, is struggling not because of the low supply, but also from the advocates who have long believed slashing nicotine levels altogether.

The Advent and ideation

Nicotine is a chemical that is produced naturally from tobacco that makes the cigarette and also keeps people hooked. While it is believed that it makes people alert, and get the "hit" to keep them going, it exposes the users to harmful substances, carcinogens, and increases the risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and other illness.

Ultralow-nicotine cigarettes, like the VLN brand, contain about 95% less nicotine than the regular cigarettes. The idea is quite simple: without the addictive grip of nicotine, smokers will find it easier to quit. Research too has shown some promise. For instance, the studies funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse revealed that very low nicotine cigarettes reduced addiction potential significantly without having users to increase their smoking frequency. However, the problem is, why would anyone choose for a low-nicotine that does not make them feel the same way, when the high-nicotine cigarette is right next to it, making them feel the same way, with the same alertness, sold at the same price.

“It’s very hard to imagine someone actively choosing to continue to use a low-nicotine product for the same price when a high-nicotine product is right next to it,” said Eric Donny, a Wake Forest University School of Medicine nicotine researcher.

No wonder, the experiment with low nicotine product by Philip Morris' Next cigarettes in the 1980s and Vector Tobacco's Quest brand in the early 2000s, flopped.

FDA's Role in the Push

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has supported the development of such products, even allowing VLN cigarettes to be marketed as lower-risk options. However, these products remain a niche market, available in only a fraction of U.S. stores.

Recently, the Biden administration has considered a bold step—mandating a dramatic reduction in nicotine levels for all cigarettes sold in the United States. Supporters believe this move could save millions of lives, while critics, including tobacco companies, warn of potential unintended consequences.

What Could Be The Challenges?

Resistance from Big Tobacco Companies: They could argue that slashing nicotine levels could backfire. Their claim is, smokers will turn to black markets or smoke more to satisfy their cravings, which may lead to greater exposure to harmful substances.

Consumer Reluctance: History is proof to the instances of smokers being hesitant to embrace the low-nicotine products.

Political Hurdle: It may face political roadblocks, as under the Trump administration, plans to cut nicotine were shelved.

Could Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Be The Solution?

Advocates believe that ultralow-nicotine cigarettes could be a game-changer, comparing them to decaf coffee or non-alcoholic beer—products that reduce harm while offering a similar experience.

Some experts warn that a black market for traditional cigarettes could undermine these efforts. They also stress the need for safer alternatives, such as vaping products, to support smokers transitioning away from traditional cigarettes.

For Canadians living with severe mental illnesses, the latest delay in making mental disorders eligible for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) has reignited feelings of despair. People who had hoped the law would eventually recognize unbearable psychological suffering say they now feel abandoned by a system that has repeatedly postponed the change.

Impact Of Canada’s Latest MAID Decision

Many patients told the media that after years of exhausting treatment options, the repeated delay in making mental illness eligible for MAID has left them feeling as though they have “nothing” left to hope for.

One woman, Ann, who has lived with severe mental illness for decades, told CTV News she has tried virtually every available treatment, including medications, psychotherapy, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and ketamine therapy, but nothing has eased her suffering.

She said the repeated delays have left her feeling “absolutely abandoned,” adding, “They've left me with nothing.”

Another patient, Nicole, said she has struggled with debilitating psychiatric illness for years despite receiving extensive treatment.

She told the media that knowing MAID might one day become available had given her a sense of comfort, even if she never ultimately chose it. With the expansion postponed again, she says that reassurance has disappeared.

Read more: Men Account For Nearly 3 Out Of 4 Suicides In India — Are We Ignoring A Growing Men's Mental Health Crisis?

Why Has Canada Delayed Making Mental Illness Eligible For MAID?

Canada currently allows MAID for eligible adults experiencing irremediable, incurable and untreatable physical illnesses under a strict legal framework. However, people with severe mental illness who are struggling to get better still remain ineligible.

The federal government has delayed the expansion several times, with eligibility now expected no earlier than March 2027.

More recently, a parliamentary committee recommended indefinitely excluding mental illness as the sole qualifying condition, arguing that Canada is not yet equipped to implement the policy safely and fairly.

Supporters of expanding MAID say the current law unfairly discriminates between physical and psychological suffering. They argue that some people with severe psychiatric disorders endure decades of relentless symptoms despite exhausting every treatment option available.

Critics, however, say determining whether a mental illness is truly “irremediable” remains far more difficult than for many physical illnesses. Experts also warn that physicians currently lack reliable tools to distinguish a sustained request for MAID from suicidal thinking that may improve with treatment.

Mental health specialists have also emphasized that gaps in access to psychiatric care, housing, and social support must be addressed before eligibility is broadened.

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has argued that while psychological suffering can be just as profound as physical suffering, more evidence and safeguards are needed before extending MAID to mental illness alone.

MAID Accounts For About 5% of Deaths in Canada

According to the latest available figures from 2024, MAID accounts for around 5 per cent of all deaths in Canada. About 96 per cent of MAID cases involved people whose deaths were reasonably foreseeable, most of them terminal cancer patients.

The remaining 4 per cent involved patients whose deaths were not imminent but who had a "grievous and irremediable medical condition".

As one of Canada's most controversial healthcare policies continues to be debated, people like Ann and Nicole say they remain caught in limbo, waiting for a decision that could change the choices available to those living with severe, enduring mental illness.

The UK government has mandated that all schools across the country stock life-saving allergy pens from September under new statutory guidance known as Benedict's Law.

Published by the Department for Education (DfE), the guidance requires schools to keep adrenaline auto-injectors (AAIs), commonly known as allergy pens, on site. Teachers will also receive training to ensure they can respond quickly during emergencies, including administering the devices.

The nationwide rollout follows campaigning by the National Allergy Strategy Group and families, including Helen and Peter Blythe, parents of Benedict Blythe, who died after suffering an allergic reaction at school in 2021.

What Does the New Guidance Say

Under the new guidance, schools will also be expected to have clear allergy policies and healthcare plans, the DfE said.

"Today is a really important day for the thousands of families across the country who for too long have worried about keeping their children safe," said Education Minister Olivia Bailey.

"Benedict's Law means every single school will now have the training plans and the life-saving equipment in place to protect every child."

The statutory guidance, which sets out what schools must do to adhere to the law, will come into force in September.

From 2027, the same measures will become statutory duties and will apply to state schools, independent schools and fee-paying special schools. This means schools will be legally required to implement the changes.

What Happened To Benedict Blythe?

Also read: World Zoonoses Day 2026: Next Pandemic Very Likely, And The World Is Still Underprepared, Says WHO Scientist

Benedict Blythe died after accidental exposure to cow's milk protein while at Barnack Primary School, between Stamford and Peterborough, in December 2021.

Benedict was just 5 years old when he died following an allergic reaction at school.

On the morning of 1st December 2021, he opened his advent calendar and happily went off to class, a few hours later he collapsed and died from anaphylaxis. He was allergic to dairy, eggs, peanuts, sesame and chickpeas.

His mother, Helen Blythe, said she had worked with the school to put together an allergy action plan, but an inquest heard that process had not been followed.

"Had Benedict's Law and this guidance been in place when he'd been at school, he almost certainly would still be with us," Blythe said.

She noted that the Benedict's Law meant children would be "stepping into an education system far safer than the one that has come before," BBC reported.

She added there was a "significant gap" in schools' preparedness for children with allergies that would be addressed by Benedict's Law.

According to research by the Benedict Blythe Foundation, 50% of schools in England do not have any spare medication, one-third have no allergy policy, and 70% do not have all the measures now being introduced.

"The publication of this guidance is the beginning of a new era for allergy safety," Blythe said.

"It will improve the safety of hundreds of thousands of children and ensure around one and a half million adults working in schools have the knowledge and confidence to recognize an allergic reaction and respond quickly in an emergency."

What is Anaphylaxis?

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The Mayo Clinic defines anaphylaxis as a sudden, severe, and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. It can occur within seconds or minutes of exposure to something you're allergic to, such as peanuts or bee stings.

Anaphylaxis causes the immune system to release a flood of chemicals that can cause you to go into shock — blood pressure drops suddenly and the airways narrow, blocking breathing.

Signs and symptoms include:

• Skin: itching, redness, swelling, hives that are widespread across the body
• Mouth and/or throat: itching, swelling of lips, tongue
• Stomach: vomiting, diarrhea, cramps
• Respiratory: trouble breathing, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, chest pain and/or tightness
• Heart: weak pulse, dizziness, faintness
• Headache, nasal congestion, watery eyes, sweating
• Confusion, feeling of impending doom
• Loss of consciousness

How Do Allergy Pens Work?

The first-line treatment for anaphylaxis is epinephrine (adrenaline), which is available by prescription as an auto-injector or nasal spray. It works by reversing the life-threatening symptoms of a severe allergic reaction.

Delays in using epinephrine are common in fatal food allergy reactions. Other medications, such as antihistamines, are not adequate substitutes because they do not reverse airway swelling or raise dangerously low blood pressure.

Allergists advise that everyone with food allergies carry their epinephrine delivery device at all times, particularly those who have previously experienced anaphylaxis, have both food allergies and asthma, or are allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, fish or crustacean shellfish.

While the devastating COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased awareness about zoonotic diseases, the world remains inadequately prepared for another outbreak, which is "very likely," according to Dr Mario Raviglione, consultant to a HPV project at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), World Health Organization, on the occasion of World Zoonoses Day.

Observed every year on July 6, World Zoonoses Day aims to raise awareness about zoonotic diseases—infections that spread between animals and humans. This year's theme, "One World, One Health: Prevent Zoonoses," underscores the close link between human, animal and environmental health, according to the International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID).

In an exclusive interview with HealthandMe, Dr Mario said the world has learned important lessons from COVID-19, but preparedness for the next zoonotic outbreak remains inadequate.

"The biggest lessons learned in my view are the understanding... that indeed we are in an era where pandemics could happen on a daily basis essentially," he said, noting that around three-quarters of emerging and re-emerging infections now originate in the animal world.

However, despite greater awareness among politicians, policymakers and health ministries, he said there is still no full understanding of the level of preparedness needed to confront future threats.

Risks Of Pandemics Are Increasing

According to Dr Mario, the factors driving zoonotic spillovers are becoming more intense rather than diminishing. He pointed to:

• Expanding human populations moving into previously wild areas

• Increasing proximity between humans and animals

• Rapidly growing livestock production

• Unrestricted animal trade

• Deforestation

• Biodiversity loss

• Greater contact with disease-carrying vectors such as mosquitoes.

Also read: Natural Origin or Lab Leak? Gabbard Reignites COVID Origins Debate, Claims Fauci Funded Wuhan Lab Research

"All of this put together tells us that the risk is high, that the risk is increasing, that the pandemic potential is definitely on an increase and, as a result, preparedness becomes really at this point an imperative," he said.

Plans Exist, But Funding Is Lacking

While acknowledging that many countries, particularly in Europe, now have pandemic preparedness plans, Dr Mario said these are often not backed by adequate financial commitments.

He said many countries continue to face shortages of trained human resources, laboratory capacity and disease surveillance systems. There are also insufficient links between human medicine, veterinary public health and environmental monitoring.

According to him, these shortcomings remain significant obstacles to effective preparedness and response during future epidemics, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Surveillance And Laboratory Capacity Need Strengthening

Read More: COVID-19 Vaccination Reduced Risk of Heart Attacks and Strokes in Elderly by 40%: Study

Dr Mario, also a consultant for a tuberculosis project with the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), stressed that countries need stronger surveillance systems not only for human diseases but also for animals and the environment.

He also highlighted the need for improved laboratory capacity to identify emerging pathogens, stronger genomic surveillance, adequate facilities and trained personnel, and the ability to rapidly produce vaccines when needed.

"The environmental health is the one that is weaker... in terms of capacity to monitor," he said, describing it as the weakest component of the One Health triad.

One Health Approach Is Essential

READ: Australia Reports More H5 Bird Flu Cases: Does It Have Pandemic Potential?

Dr Mario said zoonotic diseases emerge from interactions between humans, animals and the environment, making the One Health approach fundamental to future pandemic preparedness.

He described One Health as "an approach that unites human health, animal health and environmental health," recognizing that all three are interconnected.

He said practical implementation should include:

• Human disease surveillance

• Veterinary surveillance

• Biodiversity and wildlife monitoring

• Food safety systems

• Stronger diagnostic capacity

• Laboratory networks

• Antimicrobial resistance plans

• Research capability

• Adequate vaccine manufacturing capacity

Prevention Requires Sustained Investment

Despite the increased awareness following COVID-19, Dr Mario said preparedness ultimately depends on governments translating commitments into action through sustained investment.

He said countries need solid preparedness plans, practical implementation and adequate financing to build resilient systems capable of responding to future threats.

"If you think prevention is expensive, try the disease then," he said, underscoring the importance of investing in prevention.