This week, the ATS joined amicus briefs in two separate tobacco industry lawsuits to block the FDA’s authority to require warning labels on cigars.  In one case, the cigar industry is claiming that the U.S. government, and the FDA specifically, lacks the constitutional authority to require warning labels on cigar products.  In the second case, the cigar industry claims that the FDA lacks authority to require warning labels on “premium cigars”, claiming premium cigars are fundamentally different from other cigars, are only used by adults and don’t warrant warning labels.

In both cases, the amicus briefs submitted by the ATS and several other tobacco control and public health organizations point out to the court that all tobacco products contain nicotine, a highly addictive substance, that all tobacco products contain hazardous substances, that the use of cigars is bad for your health, and the government has a compelling interest in informing the public about the adverse health effects of tobacco use, including cigars.