This morning the Obama administration announced it would be loosening restrictions for Americans to travel to Cuba and it also allowed for business transactions for the two countries. The changes which take effect on Wednesday, March 16th means Americans will now be able to legally buy Cuban-made cigars and liquor while in Europe Despite conflicting reports Americans will not be able to bring them back to the US from nations other than Cuba where Americans are limited […]
Each week we share some of the news that comes across our desk about upcoming local legislation.. This week we have stories from Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Utah Connecticut – Asonia has passed a new regulation that was set to ban all tobacco products and e-cigarettes. However, when two women pleaded with the Alderman they decided to omit e-cigarettes from the regulations. It is now illegal to smoke cigarettes, cigars, and use […]
This morning the California State Senate approved a bill S.B.X27 that could make California the second state to pass legislation raising the tobacco purchase age to 21. The bill only needs the signature of Democrat Governor Jerry Brown who has refused to comment on whether he would sign it or not. The move which was slammed by many Republicans in the Senate who felt the state should butt out from personal decisions as well as the […]
In January, the state of New Jersey saw the proposal of a bill that would raise the taxes on cigars to be on par with the state tax rate on cigarettes. This week that proposal went in front of the State Assembly on Health committee where it passed by a measure of 10-1. A1815 which would raise the tobacco tax from 30% to 90% in the state still needs to pass the full Assembly, Senate and […]
Each Friday we take a look at new legislation on a local or state level.. This is what is happening this week…. California – This week San Francisco voted to raise the tobacco age to 21, which some say is illegal due to state law. However, the Assembly of California has just passed a measure to raise the tobacco age on a state level. The measure needs to be approved by the senate next week […]
For cigar smokers, this is not a San Francisco treat. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to raise the purchase age for tobacco from 18 to 21. The ordinance applies to all tobacco products sold in the city limits and includes cigars, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes as well. The move comes with some controversy as California state law currently prohibits individual municipalities to raise the age for tobacco. It is believe that the […]
The state of Utah was looking to become the second state in the nation to raise the tobacco purchase from 18 to 21, but legislators defeated the attempt today in the Beehive State. The bill which was sponsored by Republican Representative Kraig Power of Heber City was defeated thanks to members such as Ken Ivory a Republican from West Jordan who according to the Salt Lake Tribune stated that he was concerned with the government getting […]
As the cigar industry waits for the FDA ruling on cigars, some new information has come out about some of the things that the FDA will be looking at when it comes to regulation. On February 22, 2016, the FDA announced that they were seeking to purchase a Cigar Smoking Machine with CO Analyzer. According to the document, they are seeking a smoking machine capable of smoking a 22.5mm cigar which would be between a 57 and […]
Each Friday we take a look at new legislation on a local or state level.. This is what is happening this week…. Alaska – Governor Bill Walker has introduced HB304 that would raise the tobacco tax within the state. The current tax is 75% of the wholesale price and the new proposal would change it to 100% of the wholesale cost. Currently a cigar that has an MSRP of $10.00 in the state costs $13.75, under the […]
If first you don’t succeed, waste the tax payers money and try again seems to be the motto in many states. This time around it applies to Rhode Island who last year attempted a similar measure to raise the age for tobacco purchases. This time around the bill has been introduced by Representative Teresa Tanzi (D-34th District) and Senator Cynthia A. Coyne (D-32nd District). The legislation would raise the minimum age to purchase all tobacco […]