06 Aug 2012

Legislation to Protect Premium Cigars from FDA Surpasses Majority

By Kyle Whalen

Washington, DC- Representative Jon Runyan (R-NJ-3) and Representative Tom Price (R-GA-6) have officially co-sponsored H.R. 1639, putting the number of cosponsors at 219 and surpassing the majority in the House of Representatives. The bill, along with its companion bill S. 1461 in the Senate, seeks to protect premium cigars from FDA regulation.

 

Thanks to the efforts of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR), the Cigar Rights of America (CRA), and countless others, H.R. 1639 has surpassed a representative majority. This will encourage the bill's discussion in session and lead to potential enactment to protect premium cigars.

 

Industry-wide support from the IPCPR, CRA, retailers, producers, consumers and fellow premium cigar enthusiasts led to this distinctly bipartisan majority. The concentrated effort included significant grassroots support, online petitions and personal trips to legislators in D.C. and in their home districts to educate them on the importance of the premium cigar industry.

 

"The simple fact remains that premium cigars are enjoyed by adults, not marketed to nor affordable by underaged youth, and are simply celebratory in nature - not addictive.  The typical premium cigar smoker may smoke 1-2 cigars a week, or even less. If the FDA were to gain the jurisdiction over premium cigars they could potentially destroy this artisan industry," said Bill Spann, CEO of the IPCPR.

 

Without these bills, the FDA could potentially have the authority to: ban walk-in humidors; limit advertising, including the very word cigar or tobacco; require manufacturers to submit their blends for testing; impose new fees; and nearly wipe out any flavored tobacco products at their discretion.

 

Spann later added "The struggle to protect premium cigars and premium tobacconists continues. We must continue educate the FDA and our legislators on the cigar industry and its importance.  There are 85,000 American jobs at stake in this storied industry.  In the current economy, our representative government should be doing everything in its power to protect jobs, not regulate them out of existence," said Spann.

 

While this is a significant step in protecting cigars and mom-and-pop tobacconist shops throughout the country, there is still a need for action. The IPCPR urges tobacco enthusiasts to continue reaching out to their legislators to drive more support to these two bills, crucial to the health of the industry.

 

With the support of the representative majority, the IPCPR looks forward to the bill's continued progress in the legal system.

 

This article was written by Kyle Whalen. Kyle is the Public Relations Manager for the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association and can be reached at  kyle@ipcpr.org. More information can be found online at www.ipcpr.org.

 

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20 Jul 2012

H.R. 1639 Reaches 210 Cosponsors Only Eight More to Reach a Majority

By Kyle Whalen

Washington, DC-With the addition of Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC-11) and Representative Nan Hayworth (R-NY-19), the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011 (H.R. 1639) now boasts the strength of 210 Representatives behind it. The bill, along with its sister bill in the Senate (S. 1461), seeks to curtail proposed FDA regulation of premium cigars.

Representative Shuler, a former NFL quarterback, as well as Representative Hayworth, a doctor, ophthalmologist, and assistant clinical professor, both knows the effects of tobacco and why premium cigars, which are only made with whole tobacco leaf, are vastly different from cigarettes and other tobacco products.

With the FDA's proposed new jurisdiction, they would have the ability to completely alter the way premium cigars are blended, produced and sold, even going as far as having the ability to take the word "cigar" out of advertisements and ban walk-in humidors. This, in the opinion of the IPCPR, is the demonization of completely legal and non-addictive product and could seriously harm the industry.

"The FDA has the potential to take away a choice that is completely my own. The level of control that the FDA could dictate would have a devastating impact on the way brick and mortar cigar stores sell their celebratory products. Small business and the jobs we provide are the backbone of America and more regulations from FDA on the products we sell benefit no one," said Craig Cass, owner of Tinder Box and Tobacco Trader in Charlotte, North Carolina as well as the 2nd Vice President of the IPCPR.

Rob Roth, owner of Nice Ash Cigars & Lounge in New York and a member of the New York Tobacconist Association as well as an IPCPR board member had this to add "As we continue our outreach, more and more congressmen and women are realizing the effect that this legislation would have on small mom-and-pop tobacconists all throughout this country. These bills in the House and Senate are simply standing up for small businesses."

Deliberations in the House and Senate continue. To get involved, go to www.ipcpr.org.

This article was written by Kyle Whalen. Kyle is the Public Relations Manager for the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association and can be reached at kyle@ipcpr.org. More information can be found online at www.ipcpr.org.

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04 Jun 2012

Bills to Protect Premium Cigars Continue to Gain Support

By Kyle Whalen

Washington, DC-As the Representatives and Senators settle into session, two bills (H.R. 1639 & S. 1461) continue to gain support. H.R. 1639 has just reached 190 co-sponsors, nearing the 218 co-sponsors needed for the majority. S. 1461 has reached 10 co-sponsors with Senator Ben Nelson from Nebraska supporting it most recently.

The bills seek to restrict the FDA from regulating the premium cigar industry as it wishes to do to other tobacco products.

With the FDA's proposed new jurisdiction, they would have the ability to completely alter the way premium cigars are sold, even going as far as having the ability to take the word "cigar" out of advertisements. These two bills seek to limit that. Supported by the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR), Cigar Rights of America, small tobacco shops throughout the country, and tobacco enthusiasts, the bills seek to protect the cigar industry from the FDA's potentially heavy-handed regulation.

The bills have come a long way, but are still in need of support. The IPCPR encourages any tobacco enthusiasts to contact their local legislators and discuss with them the importance of small tobacconists throughout this country and the negative impact that FDA regulation could have on their businesses.

Bill Spann, CEO of the IPCPR, noted, "The premium cigar industry employs over 85,000 Americans alone. In today's economy, our representative form of government should be doing everything possible to protect small businesses and promote job growth, not trying to regulate it out of existence."

As the bills continue to gain support, cigar enthusiasts everywhere hope that the legislators will hear their voices and discuss the bills during session this year, which is expected to close in December.

This article was written by Kyle Whalen. Kyle is the Public Relations Manager for the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association and can be reached at kyle@ipcpr.org. More information can be found online at www.ipcpr.org.

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