FDA Postpones Effective Date of New Labeling, Advertising Requirements for Cigarettes

The Food and Drug Administration is postponing until Oct. 16, 2021, the effective date of a recently issued final rule that sets new required cigarette health warnings for cigarette packages and advertisements. Required by the 2009 Tobacco Control Act, the regulations require that each cigarette package and advertisement bear color graphics depicting the negative health consequences of smoking, as well as new textual warning statements. The final rule specifies the 11 new textual warning label statements and accompanying color graphics. It had been set to take effect June 18, 2021, but a federal court issued an order postponing that date, as well as all related compliance dates, while it considers a lawsuit challenging the new regulations.