Search Results for: cigar wars

Cigar Wars: FDA Regulation Will Close Shops

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Courtesy Steve Helber – AP

As the summer drags on and the FDA continues to decide what form of pleasure it will kill next, more and more media outlets are interviewing cigar shop owners around the country about the proposed regulations. And wouldn’t you know it, shop owners are actually confirming that if they are forced to sell from catalogs, place death stickers on cigars, etc, they might have to close!

From the article:

“Josh Johnson is worried the restrictions will force him to shutdown his Huntersville store, Burner’s Cigar Co. ‘That’s our biggest fear that its gonna put us out of business. It’s that it’s gonna put such heavy restrictions that we aren’t going to be able to cater to our customer’s needs,’ he said.”

What I find most unfortunate here is that, in the grand scheme of things, the FDA probably doesn’t care that it could end centuries of tradition, culture, and art that is associated with the premium cigar industry. As others have pointed out, premium cigars are not marketed to the young, nor are they anywhere near the right price range for children to buy.

Does any of this matter? Probably not. Could regulations at some point be the right option? Sure, given the right circumstances, I think they could, and I applaud the FDA for much of the work they have done. What is troubling is when the witch-hunt for health gets out of hand.

Read the full article here.

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Cigar Wars: The Story Hits the Washington Post

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Courtesy Steve Helber – AP

Since the beginning of the summer, a lot of dust has been kicked up around the proposed FDA regulation of the premium cigar industry. In our “Cigar Wars” series, we’ve been tracking the movement on the blogosphere of discussions surrounding the FDA regulations.

By far, the biggest story to hit the web so far is “Cigar Lovers to FDA: A Cigar Isnt’ Just a Cigar” by the Associated Press’s Michael Felberbaum. From what I can tell, the story has been picked up by dozens, possibly hundreds of news outlets around the country. So word is getting around.

And now it’s beginning to hit some of the more political bloggers, like this post in the Washington Post called “FDA to regulate fine cigars, but opponents say stogies breed bipartisanship.” The basic argument is held in the title: protect cigars, because they’re the only thing that will bring the two parties together.

Indeed. No other ‘great equalizer’ seems to work. Maybe that’s the strongest argument yet for keeping premium cigars and their tradition protect.

Who knows – maybe the same argument will work for exempting Cuban cigars from the embargo!

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Cigar Wars: Proposed rules roil cigar industry

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photo courtesy The Tampa Tribune

As popular and Congressional pressure mounts on the FDA to exclude premium cigars from its tobacco regulations, more articles from around the country are centering on the difficulties that FDA regulations pose for local brick and mortar tobacconists.

The latest of these articles comes from Tampa, FL, where regulations would hit particularly hard. In “Proposed rules roil cigar industry,” (June 25th) Jose Patino Girona of The Tampa Tribune interviewed B&M owner Alfred Moreno, as well as a few patrons, on their view of the proposed regulations. Most notable, probably, is Moreno’s lament that the regulations, especially banning the walk in humidor, would severely cripple a family industry.

“This is our heritage,” Moreno said. “You’re taking a national heritage if you restrict us.”

Click here to read the full story.

What do you think of the proposed regulations? Are they going too far, or just bringing American tobacco policy into the 21st century?

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Cigar Wars: Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend

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Credit: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

Who would have guessed it would have taken the FDA becoming the enemy of enjoying anything to get Republicans and Democrats to agree on a course of political action?

An article by Janie Lorber, writing for Roll Call news, does a pretty good job explaining the dynamics and politics of the legislation. It seems that though Democrats and Republicans can’t seem to agree on anything these days, they can agree on one thing: keeping the FDA from destroying the art and enjoyment of cigars.

Lorber notes that almost 200 lawmakers have currently backed a House bill that that would force the government to make a distinction between cigarettes and fine tobacco products like premium cigars.

My favorite part of the article?

“George Cecala, a spokesman for Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.), who introduced the bill last year, [said] ‘You have a number of people at the FDA who are bent at chipping away at people’s abilities to enjoy things.'”

Tell me something I don’t already know!

Click here to read the full article.

Follow Janie Lorber @SJLorber

Cigar Wars: An Industry “Up in Smoke”

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Finally, cigar smokers are getting a bit more exposure in the press – probably has a bit to do with the massive push my Cigar Rights of America and friends to educate smokers and non-smokers alike on the FDA overreaching in its regulations.

George Koebel from Havana Connections (“Virginia’s Humidor”) gave an interview for Virginia’s WTVR news. Follow this link to watch the interview. Commentary on the interview from http://wtvr.com below.

RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR)- Proposed Food and Drug Administration regulations targeting cigar products could devastate not only the premium cigar industry, but the countries that grow, blend, roll and export the much sought-after products aficionados say.
For instance, you wouldn’t be able to go into a tobacco shop and stroll through the humidor, handling and sniffing cigars from around the world.
“They would come in and potentially look in a catalog and go, hey I want that one,” said George “Shorty” Koebel, owner of Havana Connections in Short Pump.
The regulations could also eliminate single cigar sales, a staple of the business across the country.
“I don’t like it, bottom line,” said Nick Hazly, a cigar aficionado who also works in the business. “I just takes away from your choice, man.”
The list of proposed regulations is long and well-known to many cigar lovers. Bob Markie, sharing an afternoon stogie with the crew at Havana Connections, had the regs on his phone and read some of them out loud.
“Ban on walk-in humidors, self-serve cigar displays,” Markie said. “Mail order cigar sales, limit cigar marketing and advertising . . . flavored cigars . . . limit special-release, small-batch cigars, limits on nicotine levels in cigars near zero. Well, that’s going to be fun.”

I’m glad to see more press surrounding what could be the end of the enjoyment of cigars – we’ll just have to see what difference it makes as the FDA deliberates.

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