Weekly Cigar News Sampler: Lawmakers Target Military Tobacco Use, States Seek to Raise Minimum Age, and More

As we have since July 2006, each Friday we’ll post our sampling of cigar news and other items of interest from the week. Below is our latest, which is the 524th in the series.

1) Lawmakers have set their sights on tobacco use in the military. “Legislators held hearings Wednesday on the issue, with Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin lashing out at the Pentagon for not working hard enough to curb tobacco use among young servicemembers,” reports The Daily Caller. “On the House side, members of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs directed their attention to legislation that would target veterans, instead of the usual practice of slapping the Pentagon’s hand regarding tobacco consumption. This new legislation, forwarded by Republican Rep. Brad Wenstrup, would ban smoking inside any VA health facility. Additionally, the bill would ban outdoor smoking at VA medical centers by 2022.”

2) Famous Smoke Shop yesterday announced the debut of a new Cigar Smokers’ Rights Hub. According to a press release, the hub “presents cigar enthusiasts with a history of legal actions affecting the tobacco industry… and offers cigar smokers a detailed understanding of how FDA’s new regulations will negatively impact the premium cigar industry, and the legal challenges that have been mounted against the agency’s sweeping new rules.”

3) According to an article published by Cigar Aficionado on Wednesday, 24 states have “introduced some form of legislation this year that seeks to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21 years old. Currently, only Hawaii and California have enacted such laws, but the sheer amount of proposed legislation is an indication that more states could soon follow suit… The states where active legislation is threatening an age hike to 21 years old include Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Texas, Washington and West Virginia.”

4) Inside the Industry: Perhaps no cigar company has more offerings than General Cigar, which boasts a portfolio of about 5,000 SKUs and 300 blends. According to reports, around fifty of those are being discontinued this year. One notable cut is the elimination of the entire Charlie Toraño Captiva blend.

5) From the Archives: A great cigar shop is like an old friend. Here are some of the attributes that create a standout.

6) Deal of the Week: Tatuaje fans may be interested in this Tatuaje five-pack. The sampler features five classic Tatuaje blends (Red Label, Black Label, Cabaiguan, La Riqueza, and Tattoo) all in a size that’s not regular production (5.5 x 55). Buy two, or simply add another $30 in product to your purchase, and you can add coupon code “StogieDeal” to land a free triple-flame table lighter.

–The Stogie Guys

photo credit: U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs