The agency unveiled a plan that would make the U.S. the first country to mandate less addictive cigarettes.

In a groundbreaking move anti-smoking activists say could save lives, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed cutting the amount of nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes and several other tobacco products, making it harder to hook new smokers -- and easier for longtime smokers to quit.

If the rule becomes final, experts say the United States would become the first country in the world to limit nicotine, the addictive chemical found in tobacco.

In the Jan. 15 announcement, FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf called the proposal an "immense opportunity" to tackle "the burden of tobacco-related disease."

The FDA action "envisions a future where it would be less likely for young people to use cigarettes and more individuals who currently smoke could quit or switch to less harmful products," he said in a prepared statement.

If finalized, he said, the FDA rule "could save many lives and dramatically reduce the burden of severe illness and disability, while also saving huge amounts of money" on the cost of treating smoking-related illnesses.

The change in tobacco nicotine levels in tobacco would help adult smokers switch to lower-risk alternatives and would make cigarettes less attractive to younger people, according to the FDA announcement Wednesday.

Youth are initially attracted to tobacco products due to flavors and industry marketing, but they become addicted because of the nicotine," said Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association. "Reducing nicotine to non-addictive levels in combusted tobacco products would fulfill a major promise inherent in the Tobacco Control Act to save millions of lives."

Nicotine addiction snags almost 20% of Americans -- most of them before age 19 -- including 11.8% Black Americans. Cigarettes and other products that burn processed tobacco also expose smokers to tar and other toxic chemicals linked to serious, potentially fatal disease. Many cigarette brands also use menthol, a controversial tobacco additive heavily marketed to Black smokers.

Before implementing the new rule, the FDA will request input on the proposal from the public and through its Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee.

The agency's goal is to see nicotine levels cut to a level in which they would be minimally addictive or completely non-addictive. The rule would affect cigarettes, loose pipe and cigarette tobacco and most cigars.

In 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Tobacco Control Act, which gave FDA the authority to reduce nicotine levels in tobacco products.

Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. Estimates are that cigarette smoking alone kills nearly half a million people nationwide each year -- including roughly 50,000 Black Americans who die from smoking-related diseases. In fact, Black people are more likely to die from smoking than whites.

The proposed rule would not ban cigarettes, other tobacco products or e-cigarettes. It also wouldn't affect the use of menthol in any tobacco products. The FDA last year postponed banning the use of menthol in cigarettes, making it the only flavoring still being sold.

"The proposal outlines a plan to reduce the addictiveness of the deadliest consumer products on the market," said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association. "Lowering nicotine levels will help millions of people quit smoking and prevent countless others from becoming addicted, sparing families nationwide from the devastating consequences of tobacco-related illnesses and death."