cigarettes

In happier days, Big Tobacco aided retailers’ efforts by flushing the markets with buybacks, marketing allowances and other promotional spending. Times have changed: Today those once-plentiful marketing dollars have eroded—and, with them, retailers’ bottom lines.

Last year, our CSP vice president and group editor, Mitch Morrison, called for the FDA to take action on tobacco regulation and resolve a slew of unanswered questions. For the most part, that hasn’t happened. This year, I’m calling for retailers to take action. Don’t wait for the FDA— go on the offensive before it’s too late to build a solid defense.

Since mid-2013, the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) has considered additional tobacco regulations while implementing other tobacco-related actions. The FDA has focused on the use of menthol in cigarettes; potential regulations on cigars, pipe tobacco, electronic cigarettes and/or hookah tobacco; a new “Safety Reporting Portal” website page; and a study on raising the legal age to purchase tobacco products. An update.