In response to mounting pressure from the White House, the FDA implied that it may be in favor of not cracking down on those premium cigar manufacturers that do not comply with the regulations, saying that it will make enforcement decisions on a case-by-case basis due to the inability to monitor and catch every illegally marketed tobacco product. The FDA went on to state that its “lowest priority among these products will include relatively expensive, large hand-rolled cigars that do not have flavors (e.g. fruit, candy, or mint), given what FDA understands to be their comparatively lower youth usage rates.”
The FDA has been re-examining premium cigar regulation for some time, even down to how it defines a premium cigar. Plans to regulate flavored cigars, however, remain unchanged. Given the continuing increase in teens who are using e-cigarettes and vaping, regulating and monitoring these products appears to remain the FDA’s top priority.
For all the latest legislation and FDA news impacting the tobacco industry, click here.
