Archive for the ‘fda’ Category

Pro Cigar Underway by Frank Seltzer

Tuesday, February 19th, 2013

 

Pro Cigar 2013

Well the big cigar party in the Dominican Republic is underway.  It began over the weekend in La Romana where participants came in to begin the week long smoke event and today will tour Tabacalera de Garcia—Altadis USA’s huge factory that makes Romeo y Julieta, Montecristo and others.

The annual festival, now in its 6th year, is a chance for cigar smokers to visit the factories, fields and generally hang out with some of your favorite cigar makers.

Pro Cigar is the Dominican group that represents all the major cigar manufacturers on the island. It works to promote the Dominican Republic as Cigar Country making the finest cigars in the world, as well as working on issues that would affect the business. I say all because just a week ago it was announced that Litto Gomez and Ernesto Perez Carrillo have joined the organization.

This means that the trade group represents Altadis USA with its above named brands and factory, General Cigar (maker of Macanudo, Cohiba and La Gloria Cubana among others), La Aurora (maker of La Aurora, Leon Jimenes and Guillermo Leon), MATASA (maker of the Quesada lines and Fonseca), Tabadom Holdings (maker of Davidoff, Zino and Avo), Tabacalera  A. Fuente y Cia (Fuente, Opus X),Tabaquisa (Juan Clemente), Corporacion Cigar Export ( Augusto Reyes) and now La Flor Dominicana and EPC Cigars.

The fun in Santiago kicks off tonight and then continues to build until the big gala dinner on Friday.  We’ll bring you further reports on this.

Diplomatic Help

No doubt Pro Cigar was a big factor in letters that were sent to the FDA, State Department and White House from the ambassadors of the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua warning about the damage to their respective economies should the FDA begin to regulate cigars.

The letter says

“If history is any precedent, some of the regulations that could be imposed by the agency would prove disastrous to the centuries old cigar industry that provides more than 350,000 jobs among our three nations, and represents millions of dollars in export revenue. No regulatory measure should threaten such jobs, and hence raise the specter of political and economic consequences within our region.”

Whether anyone at the FDA can read is another matter.

FDA Will Rule

It was the present delivered to anti tobacco advocates right before Christmas…the administration’s Unified Agenda and Regulatory Plan…it covered everything from workplace safety to you got it tobacco regulation.  On December 21, the FDA indicated it would issue rules by April subjecting additional tobacco products to its control.  According to Troutman Sanders law firm:

What is clear is that while the FDA has not issued a specific proposal to regulate cigars, pipe tobacco, electronic cigarettes or other tobacco products, it has indicated it intends to take some action. This proposed rule seems to lay the foundation for the FDA to take that action. What is also clear, is that the Obama Administration continues to place tobacco regulation as one of its priorities for the next four years.

And that could be a major problem for cigar makers.  Even Roll Call agrees that something is coming up soon.  But of course moronic democrats like California’s Henry Waxman are pushing the FDA hard on tobacco…including cigars because, you know, it is for the children.

 “I’m pleased to see the FDA has begun to enforce the law. I continue to call on them to take forceful action to protect the public health with the authority given to them,” Waxman said in a statement. “We need to take action to stop tobacco companies from exploiting loopholes and continuing to addict youth.”

Yeah like banning flavoring in tobacco except the most popular one…menthol cuz the President smokes that.  Right.  Hypocrite.

New Bill

IPCPR announced that on Friday the 15th, a new bill was introduced in Congress to protect premium cigars. There were 12 co-sponsors initially this time…

Reps. Bill Posey (R-FL) and Kathy Castor (D-FL) introduced H.R. 792, the ‘‘Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2013.” This legislation is a crucial step forward in protecting the premium cigar retail industry from undue regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) aiming “[t]o amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to clarify the Food and Drug Administration’s jurisdiction over certain tobacco products, and to protect jobs and small businesses involved in the sale, manufacturing and distribution of traditional and premium cigars”.

We had a lot of co-sponsors last time (221) but need more to get it through.  As Rocky Patel told me last weekend in Hawaii, after spending the week in Washington, because of some language changes, “I think we are going to get a lot of momentum.  We have not lost one congressman as sponsor from the last session and we are going to pick more up.  We are making a real push this year and want to get about 300 sponsors,  At that point we can attach to bill to a vehicle that will move through Congress.”

Let your voice be heard! Contact your legislator here and urge them to support H.R. 792!

Cigar Tobacco Legislation: Chalk One Up for Us by Tommy Zman

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon is a man who knows common sense, and more importantly, knows a propaganda filled, spineless agenda when he sees one.

This past week in a ruling that effects the entire tobacco producing world, Judge Leon told the FDA & the US government that their proposed grotesque graphic labeling of cigarette packaging was indeed: UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

67373892_310335571_Unconstitutional_answer_1_xlarge_xlargeHell, yeah… Here Come Da Judge! (Showing my age with that one right there.)

Several months ago I wrote about Judge Leon’s decision to put a temporary injunction on the FDA’s labeling effort, but now it has come to a head and the gubmint has been given an official smack down – FINALLY – by a guy who understands the Constitution of the United States, and doesn’t take crap when it is doled out in extra-pungent proportions.

In his official 19-page ruling, Leon wrote, “The graphic images here were neither designed to protect the consumer from confusion or deception, nor to increase consumer awareness of smoking risks; rather, they were crafted to evoke a strong emotional response calculated to provoke the viewer to quit or never start smoking.”

Good Lord… someone in Washington actually possesses a brain AND a soul. Somebody get me a JR BRUTO!

It has come down to the fact that the FDA has been found in violation of the First Amendment and even though the ruling was for cigarette packaging, you have to know that if the FDA had won, cigar packaging was to be next in line – desecrating the industry’s ornate boxes and bands while destroying 150 years of tradition in an instant. I think this landmark decision also takes away some of the FDA’s ammo in trying to regulate the cigar industry, showing the public that many of their motives are unscrupulous with an agenda far reaching outside the boundaries of their jurisdiction: meaning the elimination of all tobacco products from the face of the earth (which btw, is my own personal and humble opinion, but you know that I damn-well speak the truth.)

p10b“Although the FDA conveniently refers to these graphic images as ‘graphic warnings,” Leon cited, “characterizing these graphic images as ‘warnings’ is inaccurate and unfair as they are more about shocking and repelling than warning.”

Seriously guys, can you even believe that there’s someone like this even alive in our nation’s Capital? (Hmmmm… maybe a La Gloria Cubana Serie R would be a worthy celebratory smoke…)

Last November, five of the major tobacco manufacturers filed suit against the government, accusing them of violation of their freedom of speech. And, make no mistake about it my Brothers and Sisters of Leafiness, this is indeed a victory in the cigar world’s continual fight against the clueless anti-smoking tyrants who use questionable logic and suspect data to further their “take no prisoners” agenda.

One more very frightening thought to ponder if the Judge had ruled in favor of the vile and offensive labeling is that it would have opened the door for the government to attack other industries in the same manner, such as meat, snack food, desserts, soft drinks, and liquor. And while I applaud the decision of this magistrate, I wonder if he REALLY knows what a profound effect that his ruling has when it comes to Americans rights and freedoms, now and for the future. This is truly HUGE, my friends, and while it is a victory for those who exercise their constitutional right to enjoy a legal adult product, we must all continue to stay vigilant and fight for what we believe to be rightfully ours.

In the closing of U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling, he says with absolute conviction, “The government has failed to carry both its burden of demonstrating a compelling interest and its burden of demonstrating that the rule is narrowly tailored to achieve a constitutionally permissible form of compelled commercial speech.”

TRANSLATION: Up Yours, Dude.

Stay Smoky My Friends,

TZ.Sig.2

JR Cigars Blog with the Zman

Keep the FDA out of the cigar industry

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

If you smoke cigars, or even a small fan of them, take a moment and read on!

The cigar industry needs your help to exempt premium cigars from FDA regulation. H.R. 1639 / Senate Bill 1461 has been filed.  This legislation would decree that premium/traditional cigars should be off limits to FDA regulation.

Let’s face it, cigars have little in common with cigarettes, and we need to keep it that way. Should cigars fall under FDA regulation, the industry would be gone as we know it. What is their biggest ammo against cigars? Kids. Cigars are in no way marketed towards children. I believe protecting children should fall on the shoulders of those who chose to not use contraceptives. I am sick of protecting the children of lazy parents… But back to the topic at hand.

Some likely scenarios of FDA regulation are:

Regulate cigars in the same way that they regulate cigarettes.

Say goodbye to your premium cigars. The days of browsing the humidor would be gone.

No more cigar events.

You’ll have to ask for cigars behind the counter just like cigarettes at 7-11.

Blends would have to be FDA approved – No more flavor.

New taxes would be implemented to finance regulation. You thought SCHIP was bad.

Who know what else they’ll come up with. Their imagination is the limit.

 

How can you help? Cigar Rights of America has made it easy for you to pitch in. They have a link to a form that will take you minutes to fill out. OR you can print out this PDF and fax it. It’s that easy.

The FDA is corrupt and fascist, like many branches of government. They are owned by special interest lobbyists and corporations. What happened to “For the people?” Do you need government to help you protect yourself from yourself by limiting your choices? You’d think they have bigger things to worry about than a small niche market. Such is not the case. Let’s try to keep this one small pleasure intact! While the war on the middle class wages on, I want to at least be able to enjoy a cigar!

Take 5 minutes out of your life and pitch in, we’ve got nothing to lose…

Keep the FDA out of the cigar industry

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

If you smoke cigars, or even a small fan of them, take a moment and read on!

The cigar industry needs your help to exempt premium cigars from FDA regulation. H.R. 1639 / Senate Bill 1461 has been filed.  This legislation would decree that premium/traditional cigars should be off limits to FDA regulation.

Let’s face it, cigars have little in common with cigarettes, and we need to keep it that way. Should cigars fall under FDA regulation, the industry would be gone as we know it. What is their biggest ammo against cigars? Kids. Cigars are in no way marketed towards children. I believe protecting children should fall on the shoulders of those who chose to not use contraceptives. I am sick of protecting the children of lazy parents… But back to the topic at hand.

Some likely scenarios of FDA regulation are:

Regulate cigars in the same way that they regulate cigarettes.

Say goodbye to your premium cigars. The days of browsing the humidor would be gone.

No more cigar events.

You’ll have to ask for cigars behind the counter just like cigarettes at 7-11.

Blends would have to be FDA approved – No more flavor.

New taxes would be implemented to finance regulation. You thought SCHIP was bad.

Who know what else they’ll come up with. Their imagination is the limit.

 

How can you help? Cigar Rights of America has made it easy for you to pitch in. They have a link to a form that will take you minutes to fill out. OR you can print out this PDF and fax it. It’s that easy.

The FDA is corrupt and fascist, like many branches of government. They are owned by special interest lobbyists and corporations. What happened to “For the people?” Do you need government to help you protect you from yourself by limiting your choices? You’d think they have bigger things to worry about than a small niche market. Such is not the case. Let’s try to keep this one small pleasure intact! While the war on the middle class wages on, I want to at least be able to enjoy a cigar!

Take 5 minutes out of your life and pitch in!

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