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.

The US Food and Drug Administration is proposing limits on the level of nicotine in cigarettes and some other types of tobacco products, such as cigars and pipe tobacco, in order to make them less addictive,

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.