House panel warns FDA off regulating premium cigars

WASHINGTON (McClatchy) A congressional committee moved Tuesday to exempt so-called "premium hand-rolled cigars" from oversight by the Food and Drug Administration.
The carve-out, backed in large part by lawmakers from Florida with close ties to cigar makers, wouldn't outright prohibit the FDA from regulating the fancy cigars sold primarily at high-end tobacco shops.
But there's a stern warning in the language accompanying an FDA spending bill that the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee passed Tuesday: "The committee reminds FDA that premium cigars have unique characteristics and cost-prohibitive price points and are not marketed to kids. Any effort to regulate cigars should take these items into consideration." Continued