Cigar News, Cigar Politics, FDA
Senator Rubio & Senator Manchin Stand Up For Premium Cigars
Sometimes both sides of the aisle understand that every issue is not black and white.
In a bi-partisan effort to keep premium cigars out of the category one size fits all, Democrats and Republicans are uniting against the misinformation about the premium cigar industry. Cigar smokers are not the enemy but responsible adults who engage in a product for enjoyment, social interaction and support of numerous charities. The premium cigar industry also supports small business owners, manufacturers, farmers and those employed in cigar affiliations. The anti cigar crowd only sees what they want to see. The dialogue is non-existent as their agenda is clear, the elimination of all aspects of cigars.
Keep this in mind , so emphatically let your elected officials know your thoughts and where you stand.
Keep smoking
As many have heard through social media yesterday, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) stood up for the small businesses of the premium cigar industry during a Senate committee hearing. However, the moment that truly got our attention was the words of the opposition.
Senator Rubio and Senator Manchin voiced their support for treating premium handmade cigars differently from other tobacco products, because as common sense would dictate, they are.
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) spoke out against such exemption, as would be expected, but he did so with blatantly false and misleading statements. Senator Durbin repeatedly cited incorrect statistics and falsehoods perpetrated by the federal bureaucracy and anti-tobacco advocacy groups, to argue that premium cigars are no different from any other tobacco product.
The statement of serious concern however, was that the FDA had spent the last eight years studying the difference between cigars and cigarettes.
He somehow ignored the most recent New England Journal of Medicine analysis, funded in part by the FDA, that clearly notes how America’s youth are not attracted to premium/large cigars. A fresh copy will be delivered to the Senator’s office.
Senator Durbin’s blatant mischaracterizations of premium cigars did not go unchallenged. Both Senator Rubio and Senator Manchin immediately pushed back against his words by rightfully pointing out the differences between products in terms of enjoyment, and demographic appeal.
As announced last week, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee advanced language that protects premium/large cigars from the heavy hand of the federal bureaucracy. This week, Senator Rubio vowed to carry that message with his Florida colleague, U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, throughout the budget process. Senator Manchin and a bipartisan coalition of Senators, pledged to support his efforts.
