Yep...

Just imagine... I've been in this business since 1996... Had a good run, made a lot of friends and a few enemies.

My company engages in stiff competition with its competitors. We've had rivalries paralleling New York and Boston and price wars every time someone takes a daring leap to discount products further and deeper. Some of it has been stressful but most of it has been fun and worth the struggles to get your business.

But that will be all for naught in a very short time. Why? FDA...

Most people (inside and outside of this business) have failed to see the gravity of this situation. So let me make it clear..

If the FDA gets their way, you will not be able to order your cigars online. It's just that simple.

Of course, online stores will not be the only casualties.
Walk-in humidors will be banned. You'll have to ask for your cigar by name to someone who will hand it to you. No more see, touch, smell.
Manufacturers will have to submit cigars to the US government for testing. And they'll have to pay for the privilege. But they will not be allowed to advertise their products. New brands would be impossible to identify.

Sound like fiction? It's not..

Perhaps this is the wrong forum to post this in as it may be moved to the Tobacco Legislation section.. But it really won't matter in a few months, as FDA plans their assault on your cigars and my livelihood.

Want to know more???

http://www.famous-smoke.com/fda/4/

http://dailycaller.com/2011/11/29/ci...latory-agenda/

Spread the word.. This is a fight where everyone must get involved.

Humberto
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ive already emailed my representatives. i am going to be sending hard copy in the next day or so.


cigar rights of america helped me with those letters. even if that is the least that you do, it is a push in the right direction.

i recommend that you have your own words at the beginning of the letter to take away from the "form letter" atmosphere.
please contact your representatives.

Some of the measures FDA could consider include:

- Ban on walk-in humidors, self serve cigar displays, and mail-order cigar sales;

- Ban on all flavored cigars, that are enjoyed by legal-age adults;

- Deface ornate, decorative cigar boxes, often considered an art form with grotesque images;

- Ban on cigar events where free cigars (samples) could be available to legal-age adults;

- Limits on cigar marketing and advertising;

- Imposition of new 'user fees' [tax] on cigars, to finance regulations;

- Limits on special release and small-batch cigars, due to mandates that cigar blends be submitted to FDA for pre-approval before release;

- Limits on nicotine levels on cigars to near zero, severely impacting the flavor of cigars;

- Ban on marketing cigar merchandise.


this is about more than just tobacco or cigars, it is about the right for a grown person to live their life as they see fit.
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I blame Bigfoot.
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Done- 2012 is fast approaching- YOUR chance to slow down(stopping would be impossible) Big Brother!
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I have written my representatives several times.
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Me, Too.
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+1 I'm pretty sure they are tired of hearing from me. 'OH gawd, it's the jerk that writes to me about cigars and motorcycles once every couple weeks. Him... again.' Delete.
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I'll write mine, but I doubt he can read.
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Have written multiple times. Am also a CRA member!!
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Do congressmen actually read requests from their constituents?
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Definitely. I Have Replies From Both Of Mine! :-)
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Or at least their lackeys. :-)
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True; At Least Someone "Looks" At Them.:-)
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I have received replies from mine as well.....to be followed up by their SPAM
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I fear that most politicians will simply follow the script laid out for them and not seriously be swayed by letters from us lowly "smokers". I couldn't imagine any number of letters or promises to vote for the other guy could ever persuade the liberal senators of my state to see reason.
I'm sending my letters out, too, but I fear it will make absolutely no difference. Their mind is controlled by their socialist notions of Big Brother, and in their world-view, people like us just don't seem to fit in.


I don't smoke chemical sticks myself, but is it still legal to purchase cigarettes online? I imagine that the draconian measures taken against cigarette smokers will serve as a model against cigar hobbyist.
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I have sent mine email as well but no response back only spam as others have posted. My only hope is that cigars can be presented in a way that no loopholes exist that will allow a comparison to cigarettes, with companies such as Thompson Cigars selling "Cigars" with filters in cigarette packs I am not very optimistic for our future, not to mention the politics in D.C in general. If this does get passed is there a time limit for the measure to be imposed? What will happen next?
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I received a reply from Sen. Levin, who told me of legislation pending that would take the teeth, if you will, out of this FDA abomination. Didn't hear back from Stabenow. Rep. Dingell sounded like he supports the FDA regs. He never gets my vote, anyways.
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I have done this several times. Each time I get a reply but the reply appears to be a form letter that states why they will support the bill. The only reason I think that this is a form letter is that I have received the same letter at least four times from three different people:

Dear Michael,

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for S. 1461, the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011. While we may disagree on this issue, I appreciate the opportunity to share my perspective.

Congress passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009 to address tobacco's impact on public health. The Act grants the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to regulate tobacco products, with a special emphasis on preventing their use by children.

I believe this law is necessary because research from the Centers for Disease Control shows that tobacco usage is the largest preventable cause of disease, disability and death in the United States.

Considering this fact, I am reluctant to support a bill that would limit the FDA's ability to oversee tobacco products, including premium cigars. My hope is that increased oversight will help establish an industry standard that all tobacco producers must achieve or exceed.

While we may disagree on this issue, I appreciate you sharing your views and giving me the opportunity to respond.

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"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves."
Ronald Reagan
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Just signed a petition at a Drew Estate event this week. Hope this crap dies in a fire
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