The Stogie Guys

State legislatures all around the country are in session, and that means cigar rights are in danger. From coast to coast, bills are being considered that would curb the rights of cigar smokers. Fortunately, Cigar Rights of America and the International Premium Cigar and Pipe Retailers Association are keeping cigar smokers updated. Here are a few of the bills from around the country to watch out for:

California is considering a bill that would ban smoking statewide in all indoor locations except private residences. SB 575 would ban smoking in all retail tobacco businesses, private clubs, hotel lobbies, bars, taverns, banquet rooms, warehouse facilities, and employee break rooms.

Kentucky is considering a bill to ban smoking in all indoor locations except private residences. Polls show Kentucky residents are evenly split on the proposed legislation.

Indiana is considering a bill that would ban smoking nearly everywhere, including cigar bar. While current cigar shops are exempt, future shops may not be.

Nebraska legislators are considering a bill (LB 436) that would severely increase the price of cigars. The bill would boost the wholesale tax on cigars and other premium tobacco products by 225%.

Maryland is considering two bills that would dramatically increases the cost of cigars. If both bills pass, tobacco excise taxes would increase by 500%.

Texas is considering a state-wide ban on smoking. The bill, introduced by a Dallas-area Republican (demonstrating that anti-Cigar Rights legislation is bipartisan), would prohibit smoking in indoor areas of most businesses, health care facilities, and sporting venues.

Washington is considering HB 1246, which would limit cigar smokers’ choices and make tobacco sales less consumer-friendly. The bill bans the sale of any tobacco that has a “distinguishable flavor or aroma other than tobacco”, including flavored or infused cigars, such as Acid, and flavored pipe tobacco. The bill would force tobacco to be kept behind a counter at most tobacco retailers, though dedicated cigar shops appear to be exempt.

As you can see, anti-cigar legislation is moving all around the country. It is critical that lawmakers hear from their constituents if these measures are to be defeated. And this is just a small selection of pending legislation. To keep up-to-date on all the anti-cigar legislation in your area, we recommend subscribing to updates from the CRA and constantly monitoring the IPCPR legislation page.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Stogie Guys

It often seems impossible to find a place to kick back with a cigar these days. Here in Virginia, site of StogieGuys.com’s global headquarters, our state’s politicians have forced hundreds of businesses to enact smoke-free policies, limiting the number of safe havens to just a handful.

It was that Virginia smoking ban that inspired Stephen Boyajian to found CigarFriendly.us, a searchable database of over 2,000 cigar-friendly restaurants, bars, clubs, and cigar shops. And so, on December 3, 2009, just two days after Virginia’s smoking ban went into effect, Cigar Friendly officially launched.

“I didn’t really think the ban would alter my habits very much and assumed my local spot, a cigar lounge on the 3rd floor of a upscale restaurant, would be exempt,” Boyajian wrote over email. “Sometime in November we learned that while the location met the criteria of having doors to separate it from the non-smoking section, it lacked the secondary criteria: ventilation.”

“I hadn’t lived in the area very long and had no idea where else I could go,” Boyajain continued. “I talked to a few people on Facebook and Twitter and came to the realization that many people had the same problem I had. It was really a no-brainer from there. I had been doing web development for over a decade, I might as well use my skills to build something useful.”

Steve is a proud member of Cigar Rights of America and a self-described “cigar enthusiast who enjoys promoting the greatest aspect of the hobby: the friendship.” Through Cigar Friendly and his new magazine, The Cigar Network, his goal is “to educate people and bring the cigar community closer together.”

As a cigar rights supporter, Boyajian opposes smoking bans, but when a new smoking ban is forced onto cigar smokers, he makes sure that Cigar Friendly keeps pace. “We do our best in situations like this, although sometimes it’s unclear who is exempt and who is not. When we aren’t certain we will usually call and verify. We’ll also do this when adding a new location if we can’t find proof online that the business is either still around or can allow smoking,” he said.

“One of the best features we added was the ability for site users to mark a location as ‘No Longer Cigar Friendly’. This can be used for any reason, be it a smoking ban, a smoking establishment that simply no longer allows cigars, or even if the location has gone out of business,” wrote Boyajian.

As of this writing, the site has 2,131 cigar-friendly listings in 47 countries and every state except Vermont and Utah (both have 100% smoking bans in all workplaces). To find a location near you visit CigarFriendly.us today, and if you find a location not yet listed, do cigar smokers everywhere a favor and add it.

–Patrick S

photo credit: Cigar Friendly

With the election in the rear view mirror and many state legislatures not yet in session or not taking critical votes, one might think it would be a good time to rest easy. Minus a few exceptions, there seems to be less bad news than normal on the cigar rights front recently—fewer smoking bans and tobacco tax hikes.

But now is the most important time in the battle against anti-smoking legislation. Complacency now could be devastating later, while diligence and action now will pay dividends later when trying to stop the next smoking ban or tax hike from passing.

That’s because politicians are currently deciding which bills to introduce. Dozens of bills around the country have already been introduced that impact tobacco rights (the IPCPR tracks them here) and equally important are the bills that haven’t yet been filed. Because it is so early in the process, a call or letter to your state legislator now can have a big impact.

By informing them that you care deeply about these issues and oppose any effort to expand smoking bans or raise tobacco taxes, you let them know that you’re watching them carefully. After all, nearly all politicians at their core want to avoid making voters angry. Before they publicly take a position on a bill, you want them to know that doing so will anger people in their district.

Which is why being active and vocal early in the process is most effective. A perfect example was the report yesterday by the IPCPR that a bill in the Virginia House that would have increased the state’s OTP (other tobacco products) excise tax rate by 400% died in the State House’s Finance Committee.

With more vigilant action now, hopefully similar bills in other states will meet the same demise. If you’re unsure of who your state legislators are, click here and the IPCPR can tell you.

–Patrick S

photo credit: IPCPR

Cigar smokers interested in the politicized (and often outright phony) “science” that anti-tobacco activists use to fuel their push for expanded smoking bans, higher tobacco taxes, and more burdensome regulation of tobacco products should make Dr. Michael Siegel’s Tobacco Analysis blog a daily read.

Dr. Siegel is a professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health with over 25 years of experience in the field of tobacco control, much of it advocating workplace smoking bans. However, in recent years, Dr. Siegel has spent his time debunking exaggerated claims put forth by anti-tobacco zealots.

As part of his work, Dr. Siegel documented the ten worst lies of 2010. The entire list is well worth a read. Especially noteworthy is the top “lie of the year” by the U.S. Surgeon General’s Office:

The Lie: (1) “Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause cardiovascular disease and could trigger acute cardiac events, such as heart attack.”; (2) “Inhaling even the smallest amount of tobacco smoke can also damage your DNA, which can lead to cancer.”

The Rest of the Story: It is simply not true that even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause cardiovascular disease. Luckily, it takes many years of exposure before the process of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) can occur. Fortunately as well, inhaling the smallest amount of tobacco smoke does not lead to cancer. While the Surgeon General is correct in asserting that the tiniest amount of tobacco smoke can damage your DNA, it simply is not true that someone who inhales the tiniest amount of tobacco smoke may well develop cancer because of it. There is certainly no evidence to support such a statement.

The United States Surgeon General’s Office (part of the U.S. Public Health Service) is funded entirely by taxpayers and is the most prominent advocate for public health in the country. It was this that lead Siegel to conclude that the Surgeon General’s lie was the most egregious: “Given the influence of the Surgeon General’s statements on anti-smoking groups and the prominence of the Surgeon General’s statements in the media, the assertion that even a brief tobacco smoke exposure can cause heart disease and lung cancer is likely to be used successfully by anti-smoking groups to support an ever-increasingly aggressive agenda of banning smoking just about everywhere.”

–Patrick S

photo credit: Wikipedia

As 2010 draws to a close, I reflect back on the year that was and some of our favorite, and most important, stories. They’re listed below in chronological order.

The biggest news of January was when Swedish Match and the Scandinavian Tobacco Group merged to bring their many brands under one roof. The deal united General Cigar, CAO, and Toraño.

On January 21, we were the first to report that a new cigar club was opening in Alexandria, Virginia. CXIII Rex has since opened and is now one of the best cigar venues in the country.

President Obama held a townhall on January 28 to discuss the restoration of American jobs. The event took place in Tampa—ground zero the devastation caused by the SCHIP tobacco tax increase.

In February, politicians in Santa Cruz, California, passed one of the most oppressive smoking bans in the country.

The global economic downturn took its toll on so-called “luxury goods.” Cigars were no exception. In late February, it was reported that Cuban cigar sales fell 8% in 2009 to $360 million.

After they won gold at the Olympics, the Canadian women’s hockey team took to the ice with to celebrate with beer, champagne, and cigars. The International Olympic Committee’s executive director later scolded the athletes.

On March 22, the Paul Garmirian Symphony 20th Connoisseur became the first cigar of 2010 to earn a rating of five stogies out of five.

Alejandro Robaina, a “roving ambassador for Cuban cigars” for the last two decades, passed away at the age of 91 on April 17.

On May 27, we gave you a behind-the-scenes tour of La Aurora’s factory in the Dominican Republic.

For the World Health Organization, May 31 wasn’t Memorial Day; it was World No Tobacco Day.

The Church of Scientology paid about $7 million to buy what was once the world’s largest cigar factory, built in 1886 by the man who founded Ybor City.

On June 7, the Padilla Series ’68 Robusto became the second cigar to earn a perfect rating in 2010.

StogieGuys.com reported live from the 2010 Cigar Expo, publishing video interviews with many of the world’s most influential cigar makers.

Wisconsin became the 28th state to enact a smoking ban.

Toraño Cigars took control of its own distribution back from a seven-month-old conglomerate that housed it under the same roof as General Cigar and CAO. The company also adopted a new name, a new look, and launched new blends.

On July 21, we unveiled cigar trademark secrets.

We reported live from the IPCPR Trade Show.

On September 14, the El Centurion Emperadores became the third cigar to earn a rating of five stogies out of five in 2010.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed banning smoking in huge swaths of government-controlled outdoor spaces, including Times Square.

Cuba announced plans to lay off over one million public sector employees and decriminalize certain forms of private enterprise.

When the Reds clinched the National League Central Division and celebrated with cigars in their locker room, the Cincinnati Department of Health decided to investigate the baseball club for violations of Ohio state law.

On October 13, we examined the dirty details of smoking data.

As the Food & Drug Administration moves to expand its oversight to include cigars, the agency announced new graphic warning labels on cigarette packaging.

Tim Ozgener, president of CAO, announced in mid-November that he is leaving the premium cigar business and the company he inherited from his father.

Three months after the IPCPR Trade Show, StogieGuys.com announced our favorite new releases of the year.

U.S. Customs officials seized 30,000 Cuban cigars when the illegal smokes arrived at O’Hare airport in December, the biggest raid seen at the Customs and Border Protection’s Chicago field office.

There you have it: our review of the world of cigars in 2010. A brand new year is just around the corner. Who knows what 2011 will bring us?

–Patrick A

photo credit: various

And now for something completely different: puffing and picking.

Yes, that simple cigar box—like the ones you’ve got in the closet, the garage, and tucked who knows where—can make beautiful music beyond the joyous symphony of smoke the contents provide.

Just ask Steve Cinnamon. He’s a 64-year-old former ad exec living near Sarasota, Florida, who got involved in the old-time craft of cigar box guitars while recovering from a heart attack in 2009. He’s sold quite a few and been featured in newspapers and magazines.

Cigar box guitar history goes back at least to the Civil War. Pickers range from Lightnin’ Hopkins and Carl Perkins to Tom Waits and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons. You can hear numerous performances on YouTube and get lots of information, including DIY instructions, at the Cigar Box Guitars website.

Steve says his favorite boxes are Punch and Fuente. “Others work as well also,” he wrote me in an email, “but these seem to be some of the best sounds.”

His approach is a combination of traditional and contemporary. He favors the acoustic three-string model with frets over electric models. “I can make both,” he wrote. “However, I prefer not to make them electric, and it would lose the authenticity of the 150-year-old tradition.”

But he also utilizes resonators (sink drains) and modern designs, such as one that appears to be based loosely on the famous Gibson Flying V. He will build what a customer wants, though he said “most of the time my clients trust me to do the right thing.”

If you’re interested in one of Steve’s creations, he said he’s still working on his website but you can email him.

[View more photos of Steve’s cigar box guitars here.]

–George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Yesterday, the FDA announced new graphic warning labels on cigarette packaging. The change is part of the so-called Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which was signed into law in 2009 by President Obama and gives the FDA wide-ranging powers to regulate tobacco products—including the authority to regulate cigars without any further Congressional action.

The new warning labels take up the top half of the front and back of each pack of cigarettes. Unlike previous text warnings, they include graphics and many cartoon images. All cigarette packaging will be required to use the new warnings by June 2011.

A number of the warning labels portray situations that seem to have no basis in reality. One such image portrays a smoker deliberately blowing smoke in the face of a nonsmoker. Another label shows a cigarette smoker injecting a cigarette into his arm like heroin. The new warning labels come as the FDA is moving to expand its oversight to include cigars. And they follow a trend in cities, like New York, that seek to require tobacconists to display posters of decaying lungs and other anti-smoking messages.

Analysis

Like the New York City law, these new graphic warning labels will surely be challenged on the grounds that they violate protected first amendment rights. They steal valuable space  from tobacco retailers and manufacturers (who, contrary to the wishes of anti-smoking zealots, are protected by the Bill of Rights) and force them to subsidize a message with which they may disagree.

Furthermore, some of the messages are misleading—if not outright wrong. For example, the image of smoke being breathed in by a nonsmoker implies that brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause lung cancer, even though scientific studies cannot support such claims and only show that prolonged long-term exposure increases the risk of lung cancer.

Critics would also be right in questioning the effectiveness of such graphic labels. There is little question that smokers are already aware of the many health risks of smoking, and evidence even demonstrates that both smokers and nonsmokers overestimate the risks of smoking.

While the new FDA labels won’t immediately impact cigars, there are serious ramifications going forward. The artwork and presentation of cigars has long been an important aspect of the cigar experience, and forcing cigar makers to add ugly warnings would damage those important aesthetics. What’s more, since cigars are often sold individually, the FDA could require each individual cigar to contain a warning, which would not only damage the look of the cigar, but increase the cost and impact how cigars are packaged and, thus, aged.

–Patrick S

photo credits: FDA