Yesterday Halfwheel reported that House Bill H.R. 1854 was introduced to exempt premium cigars rom regulation and to explain what premium cigars are. Following is a statement from Drew Newman, general counsel of J.C. Newman Cigar Co., on the new bill:
“We are very grateful to Representatives Kathy Castor, Bill Posey, and their bipartisan group of cosponsors for reintroducing H.R. 1854 today. This legislation, which would exempt premium cigars from FDA regulation, is just common sense.
“Three years ago, FDA decided to apply the massive and costly regulatory scheme designed for cigarettes onto handcrafted premium cigars, which my family has been rolling for four generations and 124 years. FDA’s one-size-fits-all approach simply does not work for premium cigars, which is why, according to FDA’s own estimate, regulation would cause much as 50% of the American cigar industry to close.
“Premium cigars are a natural, agricultural product and make up just 0.01% of the overall tobacco industry. According to the FDA’s own research, children do not smoke premium cigars, and the median adult consumer smokes just 1.7 premium cigars per month. Therefore, there is no scientific basis for treating premium cigars like cigarettes and regulating us out of business.
“In 1885, Vicente Martinez Ybor brought the cigar industry to Tampa. His arrival transformed Tampa from a small village to the dynamic, diverse city that it is today. Premium cigars are a very important part of Tampa’s cultural fabric and heritage, which is we greatly appreciate Congresswoman Castor’s leadership in helping to save Tampa’s hometown industry.
“H.R. 1854 is bipartisan legislation that is a companion to S. 7, which Senator Marco Rubio introduced in the U.S. Senate earlier this year. We are very hopeful that Congress will enact this legislation this year to clarify that it is has never been Congress’s intent for FDA to regulate the premium cigar industry out of business.”
