The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has once again pushed back the deadline for new graphic health warnings on cigarette packets. The new deadline is January 2022.
FDA had put forward proposals for 11 new effective graphic health warnings covering at least 50% of the surface area of cigarette packages in 2019. The warnings were to go into effect on June 18, 2021. Following two federal lawsuits filed to halt the process, the FDA then delayed the effective date to October 16, 2021. The lawsuits are still ongoing.
FDA has announced that it strongly encourages relevant parties to submit cigarette health warnings’ rotational plans as soon as possible, but no later than March 16, 2021, rather than the previously announced deadline of December 16, 2020. FDA also plans to revise its relevant guidance documents related to the graphic cigarette health warning regulations with the new effective dates.