Altria asks FDA to spread the word that nicotine doesn’t cause cancer

Marlboro parent Altria is asking the Food and Drug Administration to help it spread the word that nicotine doesn’t cause cancer.

CNBC on Thursday obtained a copy of a letter Altria sent to the FDA asking the agency to help get the message out about nicotine as part of a proposed advertising campaign on the risks of tobacco use.

“We have received the letter and will respond directly to the company,” FDA spokeswoman Alison Hunt told CNBC in an email.

Altria was not immediately available to comment on the matter.

In the letter, which was dated Feb. 25 and signed by Paige C. Magness, senior vice president of regulatory affairs, Altria…