Dr. Gaby Kafie has announced he will be stepping down as the President of the Boutique Cigar Association (BCA) in order to focus his efforts on his business and family. Moving forward I will always be a loyal servant to the cause “in protecting our industry” but for now, I need some time off. The Read more about Cigar News: Dr. Gaby Kafie Steps Down as President of the Boutique Cigar Association[…]
Last week, the PCA and CRA announced they would be holding an online Town Hall with leaders in the industry to discuss the recent legal victories, the current state of play in our advocacy, and some of the new ways we are working together moving forward. Due to the overwhelming amount of interest, registration for Read more about Cigar News: Premium Cigar Industry Town Hall Scheduled for Sept 29[…]
On August 5th 2020, just 4 years after the FDA’s deeming regulations on the the cigar industry took effect, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration submitted a court filing which essentially proposed a program that will allow manufacturers to request a deferral on submitting substantial equivalence reports. Essentially it allows premium cigar manufacturers to apply Read more about Cigar News: FDA Acknowledges their Huge Workload for Substantial Equivalence Reports and Offers Possible Deferment[…]
“We completed our review of your Substantially Equivalent (SE) Report submitted under section 905(j) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) and determined that the new tobacco product is not substantially equivalent to the predicate tobacco products listed in Appendix A…..“ These are the words that start the letter from the FDA Read more about Cigar News: Words A Premium Cigar Manufacturer/Brand Owner Never Want To See[…]
In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent cancellation of this years Premium Cigar Association (PCA) trade show, Casa Cuevas Cigars has announced today, they will extend a special week-long sales effort to all retailers starting Friday July 10th though July 17th. President of Casa Cuevas Cigars, Luis Cuevas Jr., said “With the PCA being cancelled, and Read more about Cigar News: Casa Cuevas Cigars To Present “Retailer Only Access” Sales Event[…]
The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously ruled in favor of the Premium Cigar industry today, by striking down a former ruling that warning labels are required on cigar products. The court ruled that the FDA warning labels are “arbitrary and capricious.” The complete opinion of the court can Read more about Cigar News: DC Court of Appeals Rules Against FDA Warning Labels on Cigars[…]
The Premium Cigar Association (PCA) announced yesterday, temporary changes to its staffing and programs as a result of the enduring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic hardships. In the press release they stated that as of July 15, the PCA staff will be furloughed, with benefits, as the board and executive committee Read more about Cigar News: PCA Announces Changes in Response to COVID-19[…]
After much deliberations and plenty of social media conjecture, it is now verified that the Premium Cigar Association (PCA) has officially canceled their annual trade show for 2020. This is the first time in 87 years that the show has been canceled. Scott Pearce, executive director of the PCA noted in a prepared statement: “After Read more about Cigar News: PCA Cancels 2020 Trade Show[…]
Starting today at 1:30PM EDT, the Premium Cigar Association is launching a virtual town hall series. The association states : This new series will provide PCA members with a way to directly engage with Federal elected officials…The first in this series will be held Thursday, April 30th, and will feature a Q&A session with Rep. Read more about Cigar News: PCA Launches Congressional Town Hall Series[…]
The premium cigar industry scored a big win in court today. The Premium Cigar Association sent out a press release that reads as follows: ”Today, United States District Court Judge, Amit Mehta, threw out the warning requirements for premium cigars contending that the FDA did not properly analyze the different usage patterns between premium Read more about Cigar News: Premium Cigar Industry Scores a Court Win[…]
In an open letter to the industry, Famous Smoke Shop President and CEO, Arthur Zaretsky, announced his 80 year old company has made the decision not to attend this year’s Premium Cigar Association (PCA) trade show. The letter cites reasons different than some of the others we have seen recently. Most notably is that the Read more about Cigar News: Famous Smoke Shop Withdraws from 2020 PCA Trade Show[…]
Back in November of 2019, it was announced that the Washington, DC lobbying firm, Federal Advocates, found themselves in political hot water. It seems they were lying about having ties to President Trump and his family. The President quickly took to Twitter and reminded all his followers that he did not know the Federal Advocates Read more about Cigar News: Premium Cigar Association (PCA) Severes Ties with Federal Advocates[…]
This morning, the U.S. Small Business Administration held a public roundtable on the regulation of premium cigars at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. Fourth generation cigar maker Drew Newman testified alongside Premium Cigar Association President John Anderson. Drew described his family’s 124-year history of rolling premium cigars. Using The American as an example, he explained how Read more about Cigar News: Drew Newman testified alongside Premium Cigar Association President John Anderson.[…]
The Premium Cigar Association announced today that plans for holding a consumer event tied to the annual trade show will be postponed till at least 2021. PCA President, John Anderson stated in today’s press release: “Our goal in announcing CigarCon at our 2019 trade show was to elicit feedback and have the conversations surrounding a Read more about Cigar News: CigarCon Delayed till 2021[…]