Late in March HR 1854, the bill to exempt premium cigars from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation was introduced to the House of Representatives for the 116th Congress. While in previous years it has been consistent, this time around there is one notable change of the bill’s text – flavored cigars are not […]
Cigar News: Federal Bill Introduced to Raise Tobacco Purchase Age to 21
William Cooper Cigar News 1 Comment FDA, News
The movement to raise the tobacco purchase to 21 has now reached a national stage. Today, Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Alabama) has introduced the “Stopping Consumption of Tobacco by Teens” (SCOTT Act). This bill not only proposes raising the tobacco purchase to 21, but it also will mandate age verification for online sales of vaping products. […]
Cigar News: Senator Rubio to Hold Field Hearing on Premium Cigar Regulation on April 5th
William Cooper Cigar News No Comments FDA, News
U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, who also is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, will hold a field hearing called “Keeping Small, Premium Cigar Businesses Rolling” on Friday, April 5, 2019, at 1:00 PM Hillsborough Community College, Ybor City Campus in Florida. The topic will take a closer look at the impact of regulations […]
Cigar News: FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Substantial Equivalence (SE)
William Cooper Cigar News No Comments FDA, News
If there is one thing that has been keeping the premium cigar industry up at night, it is substantial equivalence. This past week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft guidance on proposed rule-making around the SE process. As part of the rulemaking process, the draft guidance will be open to public […]
Cigar News: H.R.1854 Introduced for 116th Congress to Exempt Premium Cigars from FDA Regulation
William Cooper Cigar News 1 Comment FDA, News
It took a while but the House of Representatives now has a companion bill to the Senate Bill released earlier this year to exempt premium cigars from regulation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The bill was introduced by Representatives Bill Posey and Kathy Castor. H.R. 1854 joins Senate Bill S.9 introduced by Senator […]
Cigar News: FDA Planning to Accelerate Enforcement of Deeming Regulations on Flavored Cigars
William Cooper Cigar News No Comments FDA, News
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced it will issue draft guidance that makes major policy change in terms of enforcement of regulations on flavored tobacco products, including flavored cigars. This will involve modifying its compliance policy from August 2017 where it will begin enforcing the deeming regulations for non-grandfathered flavored cigars that were […]
Cigar News: Dr. Ned Sharpless to be Named Acting FDA Commissioner
William Cooper Cigar News No Comments FDA, News
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar has announced that National Cancer Institute Director Dr. Norman “Ned” E. Sharpless will become the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner. Dr. Sharpless will succeed Dr. Scott Gottlieb who has announced he is stepping down from the position at the end of the month. “Change is […]
Cigar News: FDA Delays HPHC Testing Compliance Deadline
William Cooper Cigar News 1 Comment FDA, News
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced it is delaying the November 8, 2019 deadline for cigar and and pipe tobacco manufacturers to report Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents (HPHC) in their products. The deadline has been extended six months for large manufacturers and nine months for small manufacturers after the FDA releases the […]
Cigar News: Dr. Scott Gottlieb Addresses His Resignation as FDA Commissioner
William Cooper Cigar News 1 Comment FDA, News
Dr. Scott Gottlieb appeared on a videocast with The Hill where he addressed his resignation as FDA Commissioner. Dr. Gottlieb confirmed the reasons he was leaving were due to the toll the job was taking on his family. Each week, he was commuting to Washington, DC from his home in Westport, Connecticut, leaving only weekends […]
Cigar News: FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Resigning
William Cooper Cigar News 1 Comment FDA, News, People
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is resigning. The resignation was originally reported by the Washington Post and confirmed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar. “I’m immensely grateful for the opportunity to help lead this wonderful agency, for the support of my colleagues, for the public […]