With a deadline to pass an appropriations bill quickly approaching in the U.S. Congress, a new ray of hope to exempt premium cigars from Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulation has emerged. According to sources with the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR), Congress is currently considering a provision in the agriculture/FDA portion of the appropriations bill that would prevent FDA from using any of its appropriated funds should it choose to regulate premium cigars. Since the majority of FDA’s work is funded via the appropriations bill, the impact of regulating premium cigars would be significant. Should the appropriations bill pass with this policy rider, it would effectively remove cigars from the proposed rule that was filed with the White House Office of Management and Budget in October, what has otherwise come to be known as the deeming document, and nullify the current choice between “Option 1” and “Option 2” when it comes to FDA regulation of premium cigars. Additionally, it would define premium cigars in the same manner that was established by H.R. 662, the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2015. In that bill, premium cigars are defined as having 100% tobacco with no filter, tip or non-tobacco mouthpiece and weighting at least six ...
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