FDA Cigar Rule Sent to The White House
Here’s the latest from Cigar Rights of America on the long awaited new cigar rules from the FDA.
On Monday, October 19th, the White House Office of Management & Budget (“OMB”) – Office of Information & Regulatory Affairs published that they have received a Draft Final Rule for deeming cigars subject to federal regulation.
The OMB has 90 days to review the proposed rule, however, they can extend that time period. During this process, OMB will be reviewing what the Center for Tobacco Products (“CTP”) has included in their draft final rule, that was first proposed in April of 2014 with a slate of proposed regulations that could destroy the premium cigar industry as we know it.
Some of those under consideration, could include the following:
- A ban on free samples and promotional merchandise
- New user fees that will drive up the price of cigars
- Pre-market federal approval for all new cigars
- Unnecessary warning labels based upon questionable science
CRA will continue to keep you updated as this process moves forward.
