Today, United States District Court Judge, Amit Mehta, deemed that the the warning label requirements for premium cigars imposed by the FDA are illegal. Mehta threw out the warning requirements for premium cigars with the reasoning because the FDA did not properly analyze the different usage patterns between premium cigars.
The Court cited evidence that “premium cigars have different usage patterns than other cigar and tobacco products, they are almost never used by youth, and they are instead used by older, higher income, and better educated consumers.” According to the Court, the FDA did not adequately use this evidence when it imposed 30 percent health warnings on premium cigars. The decision vacates the labeling requirements for premium cigars and places the action on the rule back on the FDA for further analysis.