Cigar, tobacco products under fire in legislature

February 27, 2008

My colleague, Ben Mook, is referring to HB 1558 as The Blunt Bill. It would “forbid the sale or distribution of a cigarette or cigar [or component part of a cigarette or cigar] that contains a specified constituent.”

Such as the individually-wrapped vanilla and cherry flavored cigars at the convenience store counter. The ones that teenagers - and others - are cutting open to stuff marijuana inside, providing themselves with a cover for illegal drug use.

At least, that’s the deviant behavior we figure the bills are aiming to curtail. Similar legislation in Philadelphia was passed by the City Council in December 2006 and signed into law a month later, only to be overturned by a Philadelphia judge in March 2007.

And Philadelphia’s not the only city to take a stand against blunts. According to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, the Windy City aimed to ban flavored cigar wrappers that were being used “to obscure the sight and smell of marijuana wrapped inside.”

Outlawing blunts isn’t the only way that Maryland is snuffing out the tobacco industry - at least, that’s what Steve
Castro, co-owner of Davidus Cigars Ltd., says. He’s taken issue with SB 513 and HB1095, which would increase the tax on other tobacco products (OTP) to 25 percent of the wholesale price (it is currently 15 percent).

“The proposed increase … will crush the premium cigar business in Maryland and the businesses of dozens of tobacconists throughout the state,” he said. “Premium cigars, unlike cigarettes, are highly sensitive to price increases because they are more a choice than a habit. They are adult products that make ordinary moments special and special moments extraordinary.”

Davidus is headquartered in Monrovia with six tobacco stores throughout the state in Howard, Montgomery and Frederick counties.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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Posted by Jackie Sauter | Filed Under business, government, law, smoking, taxes 

Comments

One Response to “Cigar, tobacco products under fire in legislature”

  1. Mike Harmon on February 27th, 2008 10:00 am

    I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.

    Mike Harmon

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