April was a highly active month for Cigar Rights of America (CRA), with significant developments across the courts, trade policy, and federal regulatory landscape that directly impact the premium cigar industry.

At the federal level, a major milestone was reached on April 15, when Judge Amit Mehta issued a final ruling clarifying what constitutes a premium cigar. The decision maintains the existing definition without expansion, reinforcing the clear distinction between premium cigars and other tobacco products. While the ruling does not preclude future action by the FDA through formal rulemaking, it provides long-awaited regulatory clarity and establishes a strong legal foundation for CRA’s continued advocacy efforts.

CRA also remained actively engaged in the Administration’s ongoing Section 301 investigation into forced labor, which could result in new tariffs on products imported from more than 60 countries, including key cigar-producing nations such as Nicaragua, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic. As part of this process, CRA Executive Director Mike Copperman testified before an interagency panel convened by the Office of the United States Trade Representative. CRA’s message was clear: while we strongly support efforts to eliminate forced labor from global supply chains, imposing tariffs on premium cigars would not advance that objective and would instead disproportionately harm American small businesses, retailers, and consumers.

In addition to testimony, CRA submitted formal written comments outlining these concerns in detail. Our comments emphasized that premium cigars represent only a small share of imports from the countries under review and that tariffs would have little impact on foreign government behavior, while creating significant economic disruption here at home.

On the trade administration front, U.S. Customs and Border Protection opened its portal for refund requests related to previously collected tariffs. This represents an important step for importers of record, and CRA will continue to monitor implementation closely and provide guidance as additional information becomes available.

Finally, on the regulatory side, the FDA updated its list of harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHCs). While many of the newly added substances are more closely associated with vaping products and are not directly applicable to premium cigars, the update is still notable. It reflects a broader shift in how the agency is approaching scientific evaluation and could have implications over time, particularly if regulatory frameworks are revisited in the future.

Taken together, these developments highlight the range of issues CRA is actively engaged on—from the courts, to trade policy, to federal regulation. As always, our focus remains on ensuring that premium cigars are recognized for what they are and are not swept into policies that were never intended to apply to our industry.

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