22nd Century Group Inc (XXII)

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FDA's proposed nicotine reduction could be detrimental for tobacco farmers
https://www.wsls.com/news/virginia/southside/fdas-proposed-nicotine-reduction-could-be-detrimental-for-tobacco-farmers

Interesting read... especially last paragraph...


Currently, there is no tobacco that naturally produces a small enough amount of nicotine to meet the nicotine standard being discussed by the FDA.

To meet the goal, growers might have to genetically modify their plants, but that creates an entirely different problem.

"The international side does not want any genetically modified plants," Comer said. "So, everything that's going into the processing facility would have to be segregated. If you had GMO, you couldn't sell here. If you had traditional...it would kill your marketing strategy."

Comer said work is being done to create non-genetically modified tobacco that only produces a small amount of nicotine, but making that tobacco viable would be challenging for growers.

"We would have to go back 100 years and start all the variety process over and try to figure this stuff out that we've finally figured out now (for traditional tobacco)," Comer said.

"(The non-genetically modified low nicotine tobacco) would take away all your pounds per acre, the tobacco wouldn't cure good and the insects and stuff that we've bred into these plants to keep them off, it wouldn't have that disease package either."