Like clockwork the past few years the House and Senate have introduced bills that would provide a much needed exemption for Premium Cigars. Earlier this year the Senate introduced S.8 which was introduced by Senator Marco Rubio, and H.R. 1854 follows suit with however it is it not identical and would remove a certain exemption sought by S.8. The bill currently summarized as “H.R.1854 – To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to clarify […]
Utah Republican Governor, Gary Herbert has signed into law House Bill 324 which will gradually raise the tobacco purchase age from 19 to 20 in 2020 and then to 21 in 2021. Each change in the smoking age will occur on July 1st. The measure provides an exemption for members of the military, their spouses and dependents where the smoking age will remain at 19 years of age. Utah becomes the 8th state to pass a […]
The state of Florida has seen the introduction of a Tobacco 21 Act by Republican Senator Debbie Simmons of Melbourne. The Senator is currently the lone sponsor of SB 1618 which is summarized as “Tobacco Products; Citing this act as the “Tobacco 21 Act”; revising shipping documentation requirements for specified sales of tobacco products; deleting provisions requiring driver license penalties for certain persons who commit tobacco-related offenses; revising the age under which it is unlawful […]
Earlier in 2019 a pair of bills were introduced in the Baltimore House and Senate that sought to raise the tobacco purchase age to 21. The measure quickly gained the support of the 57 member Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland headed by Del. Darryl Barnes (D-25). Senate Bill 895 which passed by a vote of 35-11 contains language that permits an exemption for those 18-20 who are active members of the military. Meanwhile, House Bill […]
Just a few months ago the state of the cigar industry in New Mexico looked like it was headed toward its demise. As the state proposed a tripling of the cigar taxes to 76% many cigar shops were worried they would be forced to shut their doors sending their customers to order cigars online. On the last day of legislative calendar the luck of the Irish shined down on Jack Sweeney, owner of a Santa […]
The Utah State Legislature has passed one of the most confusing tobacco 21 bills in the United States. One that might get the ACLU involved before all is said and done. The bill raises the tobacco purchase age in the state from 19 to 21, unless you are a member of the military or have been honorably discharged then you can light up at 18. The purpose of the ACLU is “to defend and preserve […]
In the state of Ohio, Republican Governor Mike DeWine has introduced his proposal for the state budget. Within the budget contains language raising the tobacco purchase age from 18 to 21. According to projections the changing of the tobacco age in the state will reduce tobacco sales and tax collections by $17 million dollars in the first year of the two year budget and $22.7 million in the second year. The lawmakers have until June […]
When the Pennsylvania legislative body returns to session on March 18th, 2019 it is expected that Republican Senator Mario M. Scavello will introduce a bill to raise the tobacco purchase age to 21. Back in December, Senator Scavello introduced a Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda of his intentions. In the message he stated, “In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation increasing Pennsylvania’s minimum legal sales age for tobacco products from 18 years of age, to […]
IPCPR this morning issued an email about the recent FDA revised compliance that mostly affects Electonic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), however there is also a section of the policy that applies to flavored cigars. Below is the statement from IPCPR This morning, FDA announced draft guidance on “Modifications to Compliance Policy for Certain Deemed Tobacco Products”. Any changes in the compliance policy addressed in this Draft Guidance will not be implemented until 30 days after […]
As more and more states propose legislation to raise the tobacco purchase age to 21, it’s getting hard to keep track. In order to keep track we have created the following map that shows the states at 21 in red, the states at 19 in blue, states with pending legislation to raise the tobacco purchase age in yellow and those in white are at the national age of 18+. We at The Cigar Authority are […]