Earlier today, D.C. District Court Judge Amit Mehta issued an injunction prohibiting the U.S. Food & Drug Administration from enforcing its warning label requirements on cigars and pipe tobacco. The warning label requirements for packaging and advertising were slated to go into effect on August 10th. Judge Mehta’s order delays any enforcement of the requirement until at least 60 days after the conclusion of an appeal currently underway. No date has been set for a […]
A Washington DC court ruled this afternoon that cigar companies will not need to have warning labels in place on August 10, 2018. According to the ruling, the label placements have been delayed until 60 days after the appeal has been ruled on by the DC Circuit US Court of Appeals, if needed. According to the Judge, “Because Plaintiffs’ appeal presents “serious legal questions” on the merits, and because the likelihood of irreparable harm, the […]
As the August 10th deadline for the FDA’s new warning requirements inches closer, retailers are evaluating how the new warning requirements for so-called “advertisements” may apply to their online and social media formats. This includes what website and social media content triggers the “advertising” warning requirements for covered tobacco products, such as cigars and pipe tobacco, as well as how best to comply. Note that the regulations do not define “advertisement” for these purposes, and […]
Earlier this week, Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson led a bipartisan letter to FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb directing the FDA to bring quick regulatory relief to the premium cigar industry. Signed by 17 Senators, the letter outlines the need for the quick adoption of a premium cigar definition by the agency and the ultimate exemption of that product category from current FDA regulations. The letter comes as the FDA has recently extended by 30 […]
On Friday, June 8, 2018, Bobby Newman, executive vice president and third-generation owner of J.C. Newman Cigar Company, appeared on the Rush Limbaugh Show. Bobby described the devastating effect that FDA regulation is having on America’s historic premium cigar industry and his family’s 123-year-old cigar business to guest host Mark Steyn. He explained why premium cigars should be exempt from FDA regulation and urged the public to visit www.SaveCigarCity.com to submit comments to the FDA […]
Earlier today, the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced extensions to three advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) dockets currently underway. The extension covers the ANPRMs on nicotine reduction, flavors and premium cigars. This extension provides additional time for industry to present its case to the administration and submit comments to the FDA. IPCPR, along with other industry associations, members of Congress and industry stakeholders submitted extension requests. The IPCPR applauds the FDA’s decision […]
Congressman Bill Posey along with 32 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter urging the federal government to extend the premium cigar ANPRM comment period. The comment period is currently slated to close on June 25th, and is the third of three tobacco and nicotine focused ANPRM’s released by the FDA. The letter also asks for a simultaneous delay to the looming August 10th, 2018 labeling deadline for packages and advertising. IPCPR, along […]
This week, J.C. Newman Cigar Company began distributing 100,000 postcards to premium cigar retailers across the country as part of its “Save Cigar City” campaign. The postcards, which are pre-addressed to the FDA, allow Americans who enjoy fine cigars to submit comments urging that the FDA exempt premium cigars from regulation. The FDA’s deadline for public comment is June 25, 2018. “As the FDA reconsiders the regulation of premium cigars, we wanted make it easy […]
Yesterday, Judge Amit Mehta issued an opinion on several issues raised in the IPCPR’s lawsuit against the FDA. Notably, Judge Mehta struck down the requirement that retailers who blend pipe tobacco must register their establishments with and submit product listings to the FDA. This is a positive development for IPCPR members and significantly eases the compliance burden facing many premium tobacconists around the country. However, Judge Mehta did not endorse other challenges to the FDA’s: […]
For months the cigar industry has been waiting for a ruling from Judge Amit P. Mehta. Today, that ruling came down and it wasn’t what we wanted to hear as the member of United States District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor of the FDA’s Warning Label Plan. Despite calling the rules, “grossly unfair”, Judge Mehta ruled that the Final Deeming Rule’s health warnings on cigar boxes and advertisements are not a violation […]