Reports: FDA may be looking at regulating cigars

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration is looking to regulate flavored cigars, according to published reports.

According to the New York Times, the FDA intends to regulate cigars and other tobacco products, much as it regulates cigarettes, but it hasn't given a timetable. Under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, the agency banned almost every flavor of cigarette except menthol — including candy, fruit and clove flavors — but flavored cigars and pipe tobacco are still permitted.

The article cited Nielsen market data as showing that since 2008, cigar sales at convenience stores have increased nearly 40%, and more than half of cigars sold through that channel are flavored.

According to an August 2012 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cigarette smoking among teenagers declined by 33% between 2000 and 2011, while use of cigars and other tobacco products increased by 123%.