A new strategy that the FDA plans to implement in order to reduce that number of people who smoke could boost the electronic cigarette industry. The strategy will see the regulator set caps on how much nicotine tobacco cigarettes can contain. Nicotine levels will be reduced to amounts that are considered non-addictive. Smokers who need more nicotine will therefore have to get it from elsewhere, such as from electronic cigarettes. The rationale behind this strategy is that people die because of harmful substances, such as tar, after getting addicted to the nicotine contained in tobacco cigarettes. Getting a nicotine fix from a less harmful product would therefore yield significant public health benefits (reducing the number of tobacco-related deaths, for example). How the FDA responds to the vehement opposition to this strategy by the tobacco cigarette industry will reveal how committed they are to promoting less harmful alternatives.