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Tag: postponed

  • Report: Cuba’s Festival del Habano ‘Potponed’

    Report: Cuba’s Festival del Habano ‘Potponed’

    Although no official announcement has been made, Halfwheel is reporting that the 26th Festival del Habano is being postponed indefinitely amid worsening infrastructure conditions in Cuba. The postponement comes as Cuba grapples with severe fuel shortages and power disruptions that have impacted travel and tourism and led international air carriers to adjust flights to the island since U.S. military actions in Venezuela disrupted oil shipments to the island nation.  

    After weeks of speculation that the event would not take place as planned, and reports that Habanos S.A., the Cuban state-backed cigar monopoly behind the festival, was preparing a formal announcement describing it as a postponement (not a cancellation), Halfwheel is reporting that multiple distributors have confirmed the festival will not take place on the planned dates.

    Cuba’s premier annual cigar industry event was scheduled for Feb. 23–27, expecting hundreds of international distributors, retailers, and enthusiasts for factory tours, seminars, and a high-profile events. The event has been held annually since 1999, with cancellations in 2021 and 2022 due to Covid-19.

  • Cigarette Health Warnings Effective Date Postponed Again

    Cigarette Health Warnings Effective Date Postponed Again

    Photo: Tobacco Reporter Archive

    On May 10, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued an order in the case of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. et al. v. United States Food and Drug Administration et al., No. 6:20-cv-00176 to postpone the effective date of the “Required Warnings for Cigarette Packages and Advertisements” final rule.

    The new effective date of the final rule is July 8, 2023. Pursuant to the court order, any obligation to comply with a deadline tied to the effective date is similarly postponed. For example, the FDA strongly encourages entities to submit cigarette plans as soon as possible but no later than Sept. 8, 2022.

    This is not the first time the new health warnings have been delayed. The rule was most recently delayed to April 9, 2023, after being postponed multiple times before this over the past few years. The rule was originally supposed to go into effect in 2021.

    Additional details on the rule, as well as the new effective date and recommended date for submission of cigarette plans, can be found on the FDA’s website.