There’s a cold, unsettling wind that is blowing in from Washington DC these days in the cigar industry. Fortunately, there is a major counter-offensive in place as well for cigar enthusiasts to defend the right to maintain the cigar industry that we all know and love.
As most of you already know, Barack Obama signed the Tobacco Control Act in 2009 which allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the legal right to heavily regulate tobacco-related products. Up to this point, the aftermath of this act has been the required regulation of cigarettes and only the permission to regulate other tobacco products such as cigars. In other words, the governmental vice that now has clamped itself on the cigar industry has not yet been tightened. Not yet.
But if Senators Lautenberg, Blumenthal, and Brown have anything to do with increased regulation, cigar aficionados could be in for a rough 2012. In October 2011, they have sent requests to the head of the FDA asking to ‘move swiftly’ in activating tighter guidelines for the tobacco industry. As tobaccolawblog.com states, ‘we expect that the proposed regulations will be issued shortly. The proposed regulations would be followed by a period of notice and comment, during which stakeholders will have an opportunity to shape how FDA will regulate these products.’
The end result could be what many have feared since the Tobacco Control Act was first signed which is a total facelift of the cigar industry where prices for premium cigars would sky-rocket, flavored cigars would virtually disappear because of their apparent appeal to children, (because all of the children I know smoke cigars) and advanced regulations on the shipping and marketing of cigars would make it a great challenge to keep the industry thriving. More than anything, this would crush many of the smaller manufacturing cigar operations.
But have no fear! There is a bill that is gaining momentum that was introduced earlier in the year titled House Bill H.R.1639, aka the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act. The goal is to prevent the government from the ability to impose unnecessary sanctions against cigars for many of the reasons mentioned in the paragraph above. By amending how the FDA can regulate certain tobacco products, including cigars, the industry would be able to maintain its presence in the future and bring a collective sigh of relief from you and me. And as a late-November 2011 puff.com story reports, there are now 115 co-sponsors in support of the bill from across the country, democrats and republicans alike!
The truth is that’s an excellent start to having the bill be noticed, but it is a far cry from what needs to take place in order for the bill to be signed to law. The only way that this can keep momentum and gain enough signatures to be presented in Congress is for everyday people like you and me to take action and contact our local congressperson demanding their name be added to the list. Simply put, there’s power in numbers!
For additional help, the Cigar Rights of America’s website has added a page that allows a search for a list of local elected officials. The link is below (also included below is the CRA’s main page to speak out for the bill); please take the time and effort to make a difference and keep the industry the way it is and the way it should remain!
http://capwiz.com/cigarrights/dbq/officials/ – Find your local representative
http://cigarrights.org/# – Voice your opinion, add your name to the petition!
