Cigar Wars: FDA Regulation Will Close Shops
As the summer drags on and the FDA continues to decide what form of pleasure it will kill next, more and more media outlets are interviewing cigar shop owners around the country about the proposed regulations. And wouldn’t you know it, shop owners are actually confirming that if they are forced to sell from catalogs, place death stickers on cigars, etc, they might have to close!
From the article:
“Josh Johnson is worried the restrictions will force him to shutdown his Huntersville store, Burner’s Cigar Co. ‘That’s our biggest fear that its gonna put us out of business. It’s that it’s gonna put such heavy restrictions that we aren’t going to be able to cater to our customer’s needs,’ he said.”
What I find most unfortunate here is that, in the grand scheme of things, the FDA probably doesn’t care that it could end centuries of tradition, culture, and art that is associated with the premium cigar industry. As others have pointed out, premium cigars are not marketed to the young, nor are they anywhere near the right price range for children to buy.
Does any of this matter? Probably not. Could regulations at some point be the right option? Sure, given the right circumstances, I think they could, and I applaud the FDA for much of the work they have done. What is troubling is when the witch-hunt for health gets out of hand.
July 18, 2012 @ 4:25 pm
I really like this part, and wonder if there would be a way to measure the amount of stress relief that comes from the smoking ritual:
“While Johnson waits for word from Washington, Lenny Croteau lights up. He admits his cigar break isn’t the best for his health, but he looks forward to it. Week, after week. “Relax, have a cup of coffee, watch TV, catch up with the guys and just relax,” he said.:
That seems the part that is lost on this proposed regulation. It might prevent a few “kids” from buying leaf for making “blunts” but it will effect a huge population that derive a relaxed state and sense of fellowship from cigar smoking.