Stogie News: Congressional Bill Would Lift Cuban Travel Ban

Buried beneath the media’s coverage of the looming stimulus package was a story of utmost importance for cigar enthusiasts: A new bill was introduced in the House that would bring America’s 46-year-old prohibition on travel to Cuba to an end.

“The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, introduced Feb. 4 and referred to the Foreign Relations Committee, prohibits the U.S. president from regulating or prohibiting travel to or from Cuba by U.S. residents, except in times of war between the two countries or of imminent danger to public health or the safety of U.S. travelers.”

As I wrote almost two years ago, trekking to Cuba is about as difficult as finding a cigar-friendly bar. The task, needless to say, involves bending a few rules, “tipping” Mexican customs officials, and eliminating paper trails.

This new bill would do away with all that. And, with a new administration in place, it could even pass. Regular readers will recall we cited Obama’s willingness to change America’s antiquated policies towards Cuba as one of the only cigar-related positives of his campaign.

“The bill or amendments like it have become a staple in Washington, where the measures flopped in the face of veto threats. Last year, a similar bill had more than 100 sponsors. But with more Democrats in Congress and a new president—one who has vowed to lift some of former President George W. Bush’s restrictions on Cuban family travel—the climate could be different.”

Time to Lift the Failed Embargo

When JFK signed the commercial, economic, and financial embargo on Cuba in 1962 (immediately after hypocritically securing himself a stash of soon-to-be criminalized sticks), it was thought that such restrictions would cripple Castro’s regime. That obviously didn’t work. In fact, the embargo allowed Castro to scapegoat the U.S. for his nation’s own problems and likely helped him to hold power longer than otherwise would have been possible.

Second, while there are many brutal dictatorships around the world, for some reason the U.S. government only imposes an embargo and travel ban on Cuba. In fact, other communist countries like China and Vietnam have become increasingly capitalist and liberal as we have traded with them. I continue to be perplexed by the illegality of Cuban cigars and the legality of filling up my car with gas from countries that support terrorism.

For these reasons and more—not the least of which is the potential to ease the suffering of the Cuban people—the embargo should have been lifted decades ago. Legislation to eliminate the travel ban is a small step in the right direction, and it deserves the support of every brother of the leaf who hopes to legally purchase Petit Edmundos and Siglo VIs in his lifetime.

–Patrick A

photo credit: Flickr