Three cigar industry associations have asked a federal court to block the Food and Drug Administration from implementing the deeming rule to expand FDA tobacco regulatory powers, the Cigar Association of America said.

Nine counts, including the alleged improper application of a 15 Feb, 2007, grandfather date being challenged in separate suits by e-cigarette makers, comprise the complaint filed with US District Court in Washington, DC. Also parties to the suit are Cigar Rights of America and the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR), the cigar group said.
"We all worked in good faith to inform and educate the FDA on the unique nature of our industry,” said Craig Williamson, president of the Cigar Association of America. “We hoped the FDA would craft a flexible regulatory structure that accounted for the uniqueness of our industry. Instead, we got a broad, one-size-fits-all rule that fails to account for how cigars and premium cigars are manufactured, distributed, sold and consumed.”
IPCPR Chief Executive Officer Mark Pursell said, "the fact that all three of our organizations are acting in one voice speaks to the urgency and seriousness of this action."
Pipes, cigars, vaping devices containing nicotine and shisha tobaccos become subject to regulation as tobacco products from 8 August.