The Subcommittee’s approval of H.R. 2339 with the amendment exempting premium cigars of $12 or more signals the first breakthrough in the cigar industry’s large fight for relief against the FDA’s efforts to regulate the industry. After years of fighting FDA regulation, at last it seems that some in Congress are sympathetic to the premium cigar industry’s cries for help. While the amended bill is not perfect—the $12 exemption is problematic on several counts—it might be the first clear step that the premium cigar industry might achieve some relief in anti-tobacco legislation and regulation. As the bill is currently proposed, premium cigars of $12 or more would be exempt from most of its provisions, though flavored cigars would be banned and cigars would be subject to the minimum age increase and the user fee requirements.
“Although today’s vote is significant progress towards saving America’s historic premium cigar industry, we still have more work to do,” added Newman. “A minimum price of $12 per cigar is problematic, particularly since the price of premium cigars varies greatly across the country due to different state tax rates. Additionally, FDA’s own data shows that fewer than 25 percent of premium cigars are sold for more than $10.”
Before being enacted into law, H.R. 2339 still must clear a few hurdles–the next being a full vote in the U.S. House of Representatives and then full vote in the U.S. Senate.
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