The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association responds to an article in The Louisville Courier-Journal,  published August 19, 2010 and written by Bryant Stamford under the headline: The Body Shop/Cigars safer? That’s just blowing smoke.

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By Chris McCalla, Legislative Director
International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association
Columbus, Georgia

August 26, 2010

If you believe what Bryant Stamford writes in his Aug. 19, 2010 column headlined “Cigars Safer? That’s Just Blowing Smoke”, you believe that smoking a cigar is about as evil a thing you can do to yourself with your clothes on.

When it comes to cigar smoking, Stamford is obviously biased and uninformed.  In addition to tobacco, he probably avoids cheeseburgers, barbeque, candy, soda, alcohol, cell phones, automobiles, and other things that most normal people use or enjoy in moderation. 

A cursory review of some of the articles he’s written for the Courier-Journal reveals what one finds in his piece about cigar smoking: his conclusions are often based on junk science, popular myths, and are frequently one-sided.

Let’s look at the facts.

No self respecting cigar or pipe smoker inhales.  It’s all about taste and aroma.  Add to that the camaraderie of fellow cigar and pipe smokers and a beer or dram or two of single malt scotch, perhaps, and you have the makings of a lovely, stress-free afternoon or evening.

It is important to emphasize here that even critical, scientific articles about the health effects of cigars admit that smoking cigars, pipes or cigarettes in moderation is not harmful.  Read the New England Journal of Medicine, June 10, 1999; 340:1773-80, and “Cigars and Public Health”, New England Journal of Medicine, 1999; 340 1829-31.

Cigar and pipe smoking, unlike cigarette smoking, is like a hobby, not a habit.  All things in moderation. On the other hand, many famous men – Churchill, H.L. Mencken, George Burns, Milton Berle, Groucho Marx, Sigmund Freud, Mark Twain and others – smoked ten to twenty cigars a day and they all lived into their 80s or beyond. Even the definition of ‘moderation’ can be relative.

And for those who believe secondhand smoke of any kind is bad for you, we would urge that you review the regulations issued by OSHA – the federal government’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor – which set safe standards for secondhand smoke at levels up to 25,000 times higher than are found in normal restaurants and bars.

No such thing as safe levels of secondhand smoke?  OSHA says otherwise. There’s another myth busted.

 We could go on, but you get the point.  Stamford has an agenda but won’t admit it.  We, for that matter, also have an agenda but we readily admit it.  Our agenda is this:

1. If you are an adult and you are going to smoke, smoke premium cigars or pipes and smoke them in moderation. 
2. Smoke responsibly: if it bothers people around you, back off and be courteous. 
3. Enjoy premium cigars with friends as a mutual hobby, a way to relax and compose yourself during or after a difficult day. 
4. Celebrate with a premium cigar as you might with champagne or a fine wine.  Smoking a good cigar makes ordinary moments special and special moments extraordinary.
5. Smoking cigars or pipes can be as good – or bad – for you as many other things we eat or otherwise use or consume.

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Blue Havana II Cigar Store Anniversary Event Benefits FOS11

Alpharetta, Georgia   August 25, 2010 -- Blue Havana II Cigars and Gifts of 6320 Atlanta Hwy in Alpharetta, Georgia will celebrate its fourth anniversary on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2010 with a special event from 12 noon until 8 pm to raise funds for Families of September 11, Inc. (FOS11). 

The event will include an appearance by Nestor Miranda, founder of Miami Cigar Co., who will be offering a special pre-release of Guillermo Leon and Art Deco cigars.

Jim Luftman, owner of Blue Havana II, will be offering 9/11 wristbands (Remember – Honor – Hope) for suggested donations of at least $2 each.  Hourly raffles will be held to win a variety of prizes.  One raffle ticket will be given for each $20 in purchases and with donations to FOS11.  Ticket holders do not have to be present to win.  In addition, Luftman will be donating $20 from the sale of each box of cigars during anniversary event.

Special guest Nestor Miranda, founder of Miami Cigar Company, will be presenting a pre-release of his new cigars: the Guillermo Leon and Art Deco, as well as offering special deals on the entire line of La Aurora, Nestor Miranda and Tatiana cigars.

With food catered by ‘Cue Barbecue of Milton, Georgia, admission to the event is $10 and includes lunch, a cigar and raffle ticket.  

About FOS11

Families of September 11, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in October, 2001 by families of those who died in the September 11 terrorist attacks. The group has two goals: (1) To support families and children by offering updated information on issues of interest, access to resources, relevant articles, and advocacy to raise awareness about the effects of terrorism and public trauma and (2) to champion domestic and international policies that respond to the threat of terrorism including support for the 9/11 Commission Recommendations, and to reach out to victims of terror worldwide.

About Blue Havana II

Blue Havana II Cigars & Gifts is considered to be the premier destination for cigar aficionados in the Alpharetta, Milton and South Forsyth County area. The store’s 250 sq ft humidor is stocked with a large selection of premium cigars and high quality accessories for the cigar smoker and includes a comfortable cigar lounge offering free wireless Internet access, two high definition satellite television sets, a game table and a small conference room for use by customers.

 Blue Havana II Cigars & Gifts is located in the Village at Crooked Creek (1/2 mi S of McFarland Pkwy), 6320 Atlanta Highway Suite 8, Alpharetta.  Call 678-867-2886 or see www.bluehavana2.com for more information.

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Contact:               Jim Luftman
                                678-867-2886

Bastions of Camaraderie, Other Businesses Threatened by Smoking Ban, Says Cigar Association

Savannah, Georgia  August 19, 2010 – Today’s sanctuary for and one of the last bastions of camaraderie, friendship and sociability – the corner cigar store – could become history along with many other businesses in Savannah if City Council has its way, says the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

The current proposal would eliminate exemptions in the Georgia state law by making all workplaces smoke-free.  This includes all indoor and outdoor areas of bars, restaurants, private clubs and other businesses, including cigar stores and within 20 feet from the entrance to any such workplace.

The IPCPR, not considered ‘big tobacco’, is comprised of more than 2,000 retailers, manufacturers and distributors of premium cigars, tobacco and related accoutrements. The group is standing up for small, family-owned businesses whose right it is to determine for themselves whether or not to allow smoking on their premises. Three of Savannah’s premium cigar shops are IPCPR members.

“We’re not against all smoking bans. We are against legislated smoking bans,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR. “Many restaurants, bars and other places of business have already declared themselves as ‘no smoking’ venues. That’s their right under the constitution. It’s when the government – local, state or federal – starts telling private citizens how to run their businesses that we have a problem.”

McCalla says that the fear of secondhand smoke has been blown out of proportion to reality. Nonetheless, that misplaced fear is what appears to be spinning the issue in favor of the anti-smoking forces, he maintains.

“I’ve read Savannah newspaper articles that are supposed to be writing unbiased articles about the issue saying unattributed things like there are ‘countless studies that show secondhand smoke is dangerous’ and ‘statistics (prove) the lethality of secondhand smoke’ and ‘restaurant servers must wade through smoke to deliver food to patrons.’  Ridiculous!” he said.

“For every such study – many of which are based on bad science if you look at them objectively – there are others that contradict them.  And the alleged statistics are mostly fiction, to say the least, concocted out of whole cloth.  It’s when you get specific with such broadly biased arguments that their absurdity becomes obvious.  Fortunately, most of the online reader comments about such articles are against the proposed ban extension,” he said.

McCalla urged City Council members to look at the facts as established by no less than the federal government’s  Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the Department of Labor – OSHA - which has set safe level standards for secondhand smoke that are up to 25,000 times higher than are normally found in bars and restaurants. 

“Those OSHA standards are based primarily on studies by the American Cancer Society which have proven in conducting air quality testing of secondhand smoke that it absolutely does not constitute a health hazard justifying widespread legislated smoking bans,” he said.

McCalla complimented those City Council members who are thoughtfully considering all facets of the issue and said he hoped they would see the wisdom in a decision against expanding the state ban in Savannah.  He reminded the council  that many cities are reversing or reconsidering their earlier decisions to legislate smoking bans because of the negative impact those bans have had on local businesses.

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Corona Cigar Co. Displays World’s Biggest Cigar to Counter Crotty’s Smoking Ban

Orlando, Florida  August 16, 2010 – As an expression of public defiance to Orange County Mayor Richard T. Crotty’s executive order prohibiting tobacco use by anyone in any workplace or public area on or in county property, the world’s largest cigar has gone on display at Corona Cigar Co.’s store at 7792 W. Sand Lake Rd. in Orlando, Florida. 

Store owner Jeff Borysiewicz brought the mammoth tobacco product from New Orleans where it was on display during the 78^th Annual Convention and International Trade Show of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.  Borysiewicz is a member of the IPCPR Board of Directors.

The smokable, long-filler  Corojo #5 Gran Robusto El Gigante cigar was made in the Danli, Honduras factory of the Gran Habano Cigar Company.  It is 19 feet long, three feet in diameter, weighs 1,600 pounds (2,500 pounds, including the case) and includes 16,000 wrapper leaves.  The cigar took 20 workers 20 days to make and has a retail value of $200,000. It will be on display through August 29th.

Borysiewicz has been campaigning against Mayor Crotty’s outdoor smoking ban because he believes it is unconstitutional, keeps tens of millions of dollars from flowing into the local economy and threatens the jobs of thousands of county workers. County workers are forced to sign a “tobacco free” affidavit and are permitted to smoke no more than four celebratory cigars per year, or face up to $650 in fines per year or are forced to quit their jobs.

“Since county employees are only allowed to smoke four cigars a year, we figured it might as well be the biggest cigar in the world!” said Borysiewicz

 “This executive order is a misguided use of the mayor’s power and should be overturned as soon as possible.  It goes way beyond the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act’s indoor smoking ban and may well be illegal because of that.  Smokers and non-smokers alike should demand that the order be rescinded and that their politicians stop telling them how to live their lives,” said Borysiewicz.

He pointed out that tourists and local citizens alike can’t smoke or use any tobacco product (including smokeless tobacco) on county property – indoors or outdoors.

“That includes the Convention Center, county-owned sidewalks, lawns, parking lots, streets, public parks, boat ramps and docks and other county buildings, indoors or out,” said Borysiewicz who has been working to bring the IPCPR’s annual convention to Orlando but has hit a brick wall with the mayor’s draconian smoking ban.

“This convention alone attracts some 5,000 attendees and generates an estimated $16 million in economic impact wherever it is held.  Imagine how many other conventions, meetings, visitors and tourists are deterred from coming to Orlando or any of the cities in Orange County because of this extreme ban,” he said.

Borysiewicz urged all Orange County residents to show their opposition to this executive order by calling, writing or sending emails to Mayor Crotty and Commissioners S. Scott Boyd, Fred Brummer, Linda Stewart, Bill Segal and Tiffany Moore Russell.

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Briar Patch Smoke Shops Golf Tournament Benefits Iraq Star Foundation

Sacramento, California  August 3, 2010 – In the words of a top government official, “This is a big fricking deal,” says Ron Michelson, owner of Briar Patch Smoke Shops in Sacramento. 

Michelson was referring to what is planned to be the Briar Patch’s First Annual Golf Tournament benefiting the Iraq Star Foundation to be held Friday, September 17 at the Ancil Hoffman Golf Course in Carmichael, California.

The Iraq Star Foundation provides reconstructive surgery to American soldiers returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. These surgeries help our wounded warriors resume happy, productive lives, and are beyond what the VA and the military will provide. All procedures are performed by board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeons who donate their skills. The Foundation pays for virtually everything else.

The event will begin with registration at 11:00 a.m. with tee-offs beginning at noon.  The $99 fee includes entry to all events, 18-holes of golf, riding cart, lunch, dinner and a chance to win various prizes.  There will be contests and prizes for longest drive, closest to pin and hole-in-one.

“Throughout the year, we stage a number of fund-raising events for community and patriotic causes, but this is one I am particularly pleased to be involved in,” said Michelson who also serves on the Board of Directors of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.  The IPCPR is comprised of some 2,000 retailers and manufacturers of premium cigars, pipes, tobacco and related accoutrements.

Registration and sponsorship information is available at the Briar Patch Smoke Shops or online at www.briarpatch.biz.  One location is at Arden Fair Mall, 1689 Arden Way and the other is at Loehmann’s Plaza, 2529 Fair Oaks Blvd., both in Sacramento.  Merchandise donations should go to the Loehmann’s Plaza location. 

More information about the Iran Star Foundation may be found at www.iraqstar.org.

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‘Just Say No’ to Savannah’s Proposed Smoking Ban, says IPCPR

Savannah, Georgia  July 23, 2010 – The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association is urging smokers and non-smokers alike to ‘just say no’ to the Savannah City Council’s proposed smoking ban extension that would include virtually all workplaces, including smoke shops.

The second opportunity for comment on the issue will be at the Quarterly Town Hall Meeting to be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 28 in the Savannah Civic Center Ballroom.  The proposal would eliminate current exemptions in the Georgia law by making all workplaces smoke-free.  This includes all indoor and outdoor areas of bars, restaurants, private clubs and other businesses, including cigar stores and within 20 feet from the entrance to any such workplace.

“What no one needs is more of government telling people what they can and cannot do,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

The IPCPR is an association of some 2,000 retailers and manufacturers of premium cigars, pipes, tobacco and accoutrements.  These are, by and large, small, family businesses that have been passed on from generation to generation.  According to McCalla, they do not represent what most people would classify as ‘big tobacco.’

“Our members hire neighborhood folks,  pay all kinds of local, state and federal taxes, including taxes that fully support SCHIP – the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.  Without tobacco taxes, SCHIP would disappear,” he said.

McCalla said that levels of secondhand smoke in virtually all working establishments are well within the safe standards set by the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  He also cited a paper funded by the Lung Association and published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine that puts the passive consumption of secondhand smoke at 0.009 cigarettes an hour in a bar and 0.001 at a bus stop.

“That means bartenders would get exposure to roughly 20 cigarettes per year which isn’t enough to do anyone any harm,” he said.

In addition to dismissing the overreaching claims against the impact of secondhand smoke, McCalla said legislative smoking bans tend to be unconstitutional and could lead to usurpation of civil rights.

“Jobs and businesses truly are at stake here, as well as the rights of business owners to declare whether or not smoking should be allowed in their establishments.  If government was to declare no smoking in its facilities, then so be it.  If a restaurant owner decides that his place of business will allow smoking, then that’s his right, as well.  If patrons and potential employees don’t want to patronize a place that allows smoking, they have the right to go somewhere else,” he said.

McCalla urged all Savannah citizens, all Georgians and everyone else to attend the hearing or call the City Council at 912-651-6441 or the office Mayor Otis Johnson at 912-651-6444 to voice their objection to the proposal.

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Book Signing by Local Author Featured Aug. 7 at Briar Patch Loehmann’s Plaza

Sacramento, California   July 22, 2010 – Briar Patch Smoke Shop at Loehmann’s Plaza, the area’s newest destination location for premium cigar and pipe smokers, will host a book signing Saturday, August 7 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for Sacramento author Tim Comstock’s latest book, ‘Reunion in Carmel.’

Loehmann’s Plaza is located at 2529 Fair Oaks Blvd in Sacramento, California.

A murder mystery, ‘Reunion in Carmel’ is Comstock’s first novel.  Now-retired, the former Dean of Students at California State University, Sacramento previously published books on the history of Sacramento’s Sutter Club, YMCA and Grandfathers’ Club.  At CSUS, Comstock also taught business law and co-taught journalism.  He later served as Executive Director of the California Dental Association.

Comstock has been a longtime customer of Briar Patch’s owner, Ron Michelson.   A pipe smoker for most of his life, Comstock has a collection of several hundred pipes, of which his favorite is a Dunhill Group 5 Billiards.  His favorite tobacco is McBaren Burley London Blend.

“I am a voracious reader. Among the thousands of books I have read are more than 800 murder mysteries, many of which I complained to my wife, Nancy, that were not very well done.  She told me to write one myself if I thought I could do better.  And so I have,” Comstock said.

Comstock said that he wrote most of the book during extended visits to the home in Carmel that his family has owned for some 85 years.

The hardcover book’s cover features a water color work by Sacramento artist Miles Hermann.  Hermann’s work is currently being shown at Park Fine Art at 2673 21^st near Second Ave. in Sacramento.

In addition to promoting the book which will soon be available in book stores nationwide for $24, Comstock has several Sherlock Holmes short stories in the works and is already developing a sequel to ‘Reunion.’

About the Book

A brutal killer stalks Carmel. Police Chief Will Kempton must call on his long untested skills to save himself and his family and the village he has come to love.  The Trail twists and turns as the hunter becomes the hunted and the crimes escalate.  Unique characters and Carmel’s quirky politics are thrown in a mix not helpful to the chief. As time runs out, only desperate measures can save the day.

Comstock expressed his appreciation to Jan Haag, professor in the English Department at Sacramento City College, who served as editor on the project.

Comstock’s website is currently under construction.

About Briar Patch

Briar Patch Smoke Shops feature the largest inventories of premium cigars, pipes, pipe tobaccos and accessories in the area.  The Loehmann’s Plaza location boasts the largest cigar humidor in Sacramento. The original Briar Patch is located at Arden Fair Mall, 1689 Arden Way.

“At both Briar Patch Smoke Shops and particularly at our new Diamond Crown Lounge in the Loehmann’s Plaza location, we have created an environment aimed at fostering leisurely pleasures where good friends and great cigars and pipes can come together.  Although a smoke shop may be an unusual venue for a book signing, we’re pleased to be supporting Mr. Comstock’s latest literary venture,” Michelson said.

For more information about Briar Patch Smoke Shops, go to www.briarpatch.biz.

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IPCPR Urges Courtesy, Not Ban, at Bus Shelters In Winston-Salem, NC

Winston-Salem, North Carolina  July 16, 2010 – The Winston-Salem (NC) Transit Authority is considering a ban on smoking in bus shelters but the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association says it has a better idea – post courtesy messages, instead.

The WSTA Board recently discussed the issue and plans to bring it up again at their next meeting, in response to a complaint by a single rider.

“The world is upside down,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.  “There’s no need to ban smoking in bus shelters and, even if it were enacted, there would be virtually no practical way to enforce it.  Just because one person complained, doesn’t mean thousands of other bus riders who happen to be smokers should be inconvenienced.”

The single complaint centered on the shelters on Hawthorne Road, near Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where Center employees often go to smoke, away from the non-smoking hospital grounds.

“Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” said McCalla. “Instead of an outright ban, simply post signs reminding smokers to be considerate of others when there is a need for them to share a shelter with non-smokers.  Smokers, by and large, are a considerate bunch and will appreciate the civil tradeoff.”

McCalla said it had nothing to do with alleged health factors regarding secondhand smoke.

“The oh-so-brief encounters of random whiffs of smoke will not harm anyone.  After all, even the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor has established safe levels of secondhand smoke.  Some people just don’t like the smell of smoke, but there’s no reason that the rights of smokers should be trumped by a few non-smokers.  Besides, a good cigar or pipe usually emits quite an enjoyable odor.”

McCalla asked, “What if someone complained about the odor of cheap perfume or wet dogs?  What if someone complained about seriously obese people taking up more than their share of seating space in the shelters and on buses?

“Imposing a smoking ban in bus shelters is the first step on a slippery slope that could lead to even more ridiculous conclusions,” he said.

Instead, McCalla believes posting signs urging smokers to display courtesy to non-smokers with whom they share bus shelters is the civil way to manage the situation.

“This way, everybody wins.”

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Tobacconists Say Denville, NJ Smoking Ban Penalties ‘Over the Top’

Denville, New Jersey  July 15, 2010 – The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association believes the recently enacted smoking ban in Denville, New Jersey is ‘over the top’ because, among other reasons, it could land errant smokers in jail.

The Denville town council earlier this week enacted an anti-smoking ordinance which is effective August 10 and will include parking lots, bleachers, playgrounds and adjoining sidewalks among the prohibited locations.  A fine of up to $100 or up to two days of community service will be applied to first-time offenders which second-time offenders could face up to a $250 fine or five days of community service.

According to the ordinance, third time offenders will face up to a $500 fine or community service of at least 10 days or any combination of fine, imprisonment and community service determined by the municipal court.

The ordinance applies to cigars, cigarettes, pipes, ‘or any other matter or substance which contains tobacco.’

“This is over the top as far as abuse of individual rights goes,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.  “Yes, many municipalities have banned smoking on city properties, but few equal the onerous penalties implied with Denville’s ban.”

McCalla wondered what the council’s motivation was.

“It can’t be claims of littering, because there are laws against littering and it doesn’t make sense to clutter the codes with more unenforced laws.  It certainly can’t be related to secondhand smoke, because it has been proven that there are, indeed, safe levels of secondhand smoke as established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States Department of Labor, especially outdoors,” he said.

“We can only assume that the council has been duped by anti-smoking forces who use unscientific and often false claims to support their outlandish allegations.”

McCalla said that property owners – even cities – have the right to decide whether or not to allow or ban smoking on their properties.  However, sentences of high fines, community service and even jail are ‘going too far.’

“There are other, more serious infractions of existing laws that don’t come near to the levels of penalties that could be applied to smoking ban offenders.  That’s going too far.  The council members have taken far too much power into their hands in an effort to legislate the behavior of their constituents,” McCalla said.

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New York Tobacconists Warn Bloomberg About Extending Smoking Ban to Parks, Beaches

New York, New York  July 12, 2010 – The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association today warned Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg against his consideration to extend New York City’s smoking ban to include the city’s parks and beaches.

When Dr. Thomas A. Farley, New York City’s health commissioner, proposed the broad-reaching ban last year, it caught Mayor Bloomberg off guard.  Now, according to a report in the New York Times, the mayor is ‘leaning toward’ the extended ban as part of Farley’s tobacco-free strategy that would affect more than 1,700 parks, playground and recreational facilities, in addition to the city’s seven beaches and 14 miles of shoreline.  Farley’s strategy includes increasing taxes on tobacco, and urging businesses to reject financing and sponsorship from the tobacco industry.

According to the New York Times article, one of the reasons the mayor is considering the proposal is “because people take their cigarette butts and the packages and just throw them away,” they quoted him as saying.

“There already are littering laws that take care of that concern.  Enforce the laws already on the books before you create meaningless and damaging new ones,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

The IPCPR is comprised of some 2,000 members, including owners of retail cigar stores and manufacturers and distributors of premium cigars and related accoutrements.

“Our members are small businesses, mostly mom-and-pop operations that employ thousands of people.  We pay local, state, federal and payroll taxes.  Our customers enjoy premium cigars like most people enjoy fine wine. The more you limit the places you can enjoy a good cigar, the quicker you put us out of business and eliminate all those jobs and the taxes they generate,” McCalla said.

McCalla cited a Federal Reserve study that showed how smoking bans have proven to be economic dampeners. 

“An Illinois smoking ban in casinos saw a decline in casino revenues of 21 percent while neighboring state casinos  – all without smoking bans – had revenues stay flat or make slight gains even during a slowing economy,” he said.

“The myths surrounding secondhand smoke – especially that which one might encounter in an outdoor environment - have played on the ignorance and gullibility of the public.  Even the Surgeon General’s report says the health effects of secondhand smoke are inconclusive.  And that was indoors! 

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IPCPR Hosts Anniversary Meeting of Congressional Cigar Association

Washington, D.C.  July 6, 2010 -- To celebrate the first anniversary of the Congressional Cigar Association (CCA), virtually all members of the Board of Directors of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) and several of its Associate Members flew into Washington D.C. for an evening of fellowship and camaraderie with some 200 members of the CCA on June 23. 

On the following day, all 24 of the IPCPR representatives broke into four teams, with each team visiting between nine and 11 congressional members or their staffs.  The two days of intensive meetings and all the work that went into their planning, organizing, execution and follow-up were part of the IPCPR’s ongoing efforts to generate increased understanding of the premium cigar industry among federal legislators, regulators and their staffs.

“It’s important for us to be communicating with these key influencers on an on-going basis so that when a piece of legislation comes along that could impact our industry, they are better informed about our industry and the kinds of people and industries that depend on and enjoy premium cigars and pipes,” said Ken P. Neumann, chairman of the IPCPR’s Legislative Committee and owner of Cigars and More of Libertyville, Illinois.

The CCA is an official “Congressional Staff Organization” and is officially recognized by Congress.  The group is comprised of Congressional staff members who share a passion for premium cigars.  They host quarterly meetings and a variety of social events to educate Congressional staff and Members of Congress regarding the premium cigar industry as well as to share their enjoyment of hand-made cigars and the camaraderie they foster.

Since the beginning, the IPCPR has been an integral part of the growth of CCA, now with some 150 members, under the leadership of Joe Rowe, executive director, and Chris McCalla, legislative director, with the support and involvement of several retail and associate members of the IPCPR, its Board of Directors under Gary Pesh, and the Board’s Legislative Committee chaired by Ken Neumann, and the Associate Member Advisory Board.

The IPCPR hosted an informal Congressional staff briefing for CCA members and other House and Senate staffers on April 29 in the Capitol Visitors Center.  The one-hour briefing featured presentations by Rocky Patel, of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars in Bonita Springs, Florida; Gary Pesh of Old Virginia Tobacco in Warrenton, Virginia; Tiffany Rumbo of Club Humidor in San Antonio, Texas; and Jeff Borysiewicz of Corona Cigar Co. in Orlando, Florida.  

More than 65 staffers showed up to learn how premium cigars are made, about the countries that produce them and the economic impact of the cigar industry in these countries, and about IPCPR retailers, which are largely mom-and-pop small businesses.  In addition, open forum discussions were held, focusing on the effects of legislation on premium cigar retailers, especially tax-based Congressional and regulatory actions.

Attendees also received background information about IPCPR, premium cigars, retailers and manufacturers, and how misinformation about the health aspects of premium cigars and pipe tobacco is misleading opinion leaders and the general public.

The June anniversary get-together was staged on the rooftop of 101 Constitution across from the Capital Building, just a couple of blocks from the White House.  The evening reception included refreshments, hors d’oeuvres and plenty of cigars provided by  IPCPR Associate Members in attendance including Rocky Patel of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars; Christian Eiroa of Camacho Cigars; Eric and Bobby Newman of J.C. Newman Cigar Co.; Jorge Padron of Padron Cigars; Litto Gomez of La Flor Dominicana; and Dan Murphy of Humidipak.

The CCA presented its ‘Spirit Award’ to David Berkebile, past president of IPCPR and owner of Georgetown Tobacco, for his efforts to help establish the group and link it with the IPCPR for its quarterly cigar events, educational staff briefings and informal cigar socials, all of which enable both the CCA and the IPCPR to build relationships with one another.

IPCPR’s Washington lobbyists, K&L Gates, were instrumental in organizing the IPCPR teams and their visits with Congressional members and their staffs on the day after the CCA reception.

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Motorcyclists Rally in Chattanooga for Wounded Warriors

Chattanooga, Tennessee  June 30, 2010 – While thousands of members of the  STAR Touring and Riding Association gather in Chattanooga July 20-23, the Richmond, Virginia STAR Chapter 440 will be staging a “Cigar-B-Que” in partnership with the Chattanooga Billiard Club to raise funds for the Wounded Warrior Project.

The unique fundraiser on July 20 is open to the public and will include dinner and games, including billiards and darts tournaments.  The Billiard Club is located at 110 Jordan Drive in Chattanooga. Sponsors include the Chattanooga Billiard Club, Banquet and Convention Center, the Rocky Patel Cigar Company and Groome Transportation.  

Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are available for $20 each and include admission, dinner and a Rocky Patel premium cigar.  Details and event registration are at www.star440.org/cigarbque.  Venue information and directions can be found at www.cbcburns.com. 

Half of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to WWP as will all proceeds from games and tournaments.  Rocky Patel will attend the event with other representatives of his company which will offer event specials on its line of premium cigars through Burns Tobacconist, the on-site premium cigar retailer.  Burns will donate 20 percent of sales proceeds to WWP.

About STAR Touring and Riding Association

Founded in 1996, STAR Touring and Riding Association is an international family riding organization comprised of more than 65,000 members from some 285 chapters. As the "Official Riding Organization of Star Motorcycles," STAR is a non-political, non-confrontational association whose main focus is on family, fun, camaraderie and riding. All brands of motorcycles are welcome.  More information is available at www.startouring.org.

About STAR Chapter 440

The Richmond, Virginia chapter of STAR Touring and Riding Association is headed by Dwayne Terrier, president. “STAR Touring and Riding is a very patriotic group. We are encouraged to recognize and support our veterans. We feel our Chattanooga rally is a great opportunity to give something back to those who have sacrificed so much for us,” he said.  Terrier said that, although the July 20 event will occur during the rally, it is the Richmond chapter’s initiative, is not part of the official rally agenda, and has STAR’s approval, encouragement and general support.

About Wounded Warrior Project

WWP is a charity whose mission is to raise awareness and enlist the public’s aid for the needs of severely injured servicemen and women, to help severely injured service members to aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of severely injured service members.  Information about WWP can be found at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

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REVISED: Massachusetts Proposes Anti-Tobacco Propaganda Where Tobacco is Sold

Note to Editors:  The original version of this news release, issued on June 17, 2010, contained a quotation by Dr. Andrew Weil.  His office has requested that we “remove the quote and forward a brief retraction to the same distribution network simply stating that Dr. Weil has made no comment to the IPCPR, and that the quote appearing previously was taken out of context from one of his books written in 1983.” Out of courtesy to Dr. Weil, following is the revised version of that release.

Boston, Massachusetts June 30, 2010 – The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is preparing to post propaganda pictures in some 9,000 locations where tobacco is sold using a federal stimulus grant of $316,000 to at least partially pay to print them.  That hardly contributes to job creation and economic recovery in the state, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

“First the federal government expands the State Children’s Health Insurance Program – SCHIP - and expects increased tobacco taxes to pay for it. Then it gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to support efforts to reduce smoking.  Talk about mixed messages!  Also, such propaganda against smoking will only hurt small businesses while reducing local, state and federal tax revenues,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

The association represents some 2,000 professional tobacconists, most of whom are small business owners of mom-and-pop neighborhood cigar stores along with premium cigar manufacturers and distributors of related merchandise.  Nearly 40 of those members reside, work and run their businesses in the state of Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts proposal requires that stores display images of human organs purportedly damaged by smoking. 

According to the Cambridge, Mass.-based civil rights activist Stephen Helfer, such propaganda would be blatantly misleading. 

“Massachusetts plans to use images of lungs allegedly damaged by smoking.  The message being, that a smoker’s lungs are invariably diseased.  The public has no way of knowing, however, if the lungs in the images are from a smoker or a nonsmoker,” Helfer wrote in an as-yet unpublished letter to the editor of The Boston Globe.

Helfer also cited evidence that cigarette smokers have a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease and that a similar effect has also been noticed in epidemiological studies of Alzheimer’s disease.

“If health officials wanted to educate, rather than only frighten, they could require that the image of a normal brain of a smoker be displayed next to one ravaged by either of these dread diseases,” he noted.

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Massachusetts Proposes Anti-Tobacco Propaganda Where Tobacco is Sold

Boston, Massachusetts June 17, 2010 – The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is preparing to post propaganda pictures in some 9,000 locations where tobacco is sold using a federal stimulus grant of $316,000 to at least partially pay to print them.  That hardly contributes to job creation and economic recovery in the state, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

“First the federal government expands the State Children’s Health Insurance Program – SCHIP - and expects increased tobacco taxes to pay for it. Then it gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to support efforts to reduce smoking.  Talk about mixed messages!  Also, such propaganda against smoking will only hurt small businesses while reducing local, state and federal tax revenues,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

The association represents some 2,000 professional tobacconists, most of whom are small business owners of mom-and-pop neighborhood cigar stores along with premium cigar manufacturers and distributors of related merchandise.  Nearly 40 of those members reside, work and run their businesses in the state of Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts proposal requires that stores display images of human organs purportedly damaged by smoking. 

According to the Cambridge, Mass.-based civil rights activist Stephen Helfer, such propaganda would be blatantly misleading. 

“”Massachusetts plans to use images of lungs allegedly damaged by smoking.  The message being, that a smoker’s lungs are invariably diseased.  The public has no way of knowing, however, if the lungs in the images are from a smoker or a nonsmoker,” Helfer wrote in an as-yet unpublished  letter to the editor of The Boston Globe.

“I  meet men and women in their seventies and eighties who have smoked two or three packs a day since adolescence and appear in better respiratory shape than some younger people who do not smoke,” said Andre Weil, M.D., the so-called father of integrative medicine and author of several best-selling books promoting general health and healthy aging.

Helfer also cited evidence that cigarette smokers have a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease and that a similar effect has also been noticed in epidemiological studies of Alzheimer’s disease.

“If health officials wanted to educate, rather than only frighten, they could require that the image of a normal brain of a smoker be displayed next to one ravaged by either of these dread diseases,” he noted.

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Cigar Store Owners Say Increased Pa. Tobacco Taxes will Lower Tax Revenues

 

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania  June 16, 2010 – Gov. Ed Rendell’s budget for Pennsylvania’s 2009-2010 fiscal year that begins in two weeks will be looking in part to increased and new taxes on cigarette and cigar smokers for increased tax revenues which the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association says will never come.

Rendell’s budget proposal would increase cigarette taxes by 10 cents per pack and impose new taxes on other tobacco products, including cigars, snuff and pipe tobacco. 

“The exact amounts of increased and new taxes, if any, are yet to be determined and will continue to be a moving target while lawmakers figure out what they think they can get away with,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

“Regardless, no tax increase is a good tax increase, especially on tobacco products, because smokers will find ways to get around those higher taxes.  As in other states that raise their tobacco taxes, the net result will be that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania actually will get lower revenues than they got before because some smokers will quit and many others will go out of state or look to the Internet or bootlegged products to get around paying the higher taxes,” McCalla said.

“As hungry as the state is for additional revenues, they have to realize that these proposed tax increases would hurt businesses and state residents and visitors more than help raise tax revenues,” said McCalla who also pointed out that 70 Pennsylvania-based tobacconists of the more than 2,000 IPCPR members do not represent ‘Big Tobacco.’

“Premium cigars and pipe tobaccos are made and sold primarily by small, family-owned businesses that have been hand-crafting and retailing their products for generations.  These premium cigars and tobaccos are then sold by largely mom-and-pop operators who employ local citizens, serve their neighbors, and pay federal, state and local sales and payroll taxes,” McCalla said.

“In the final analysis, it would be our citizens and visitors who would be hurt and have to pay the additional taxes just to enjoy an occasional premium cigar or bowlful of pipe tobacco, as they might enjoy a single-malt scotch whiskey or a bottle of good wine,” said McCalla.

McCalla urged Pennsylvania voters to contact their state legislators and voice their opposition to any new or increased state taxes.

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‘Catastrophic’ Industry Failure Linked to Proposed Cigar Tax Increase

Albany, New York  June 11, 2010 – The New York State Tobacconists Association and the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR) are demanding that the proposed state tax increase to 90 percent on cigars and other tobacco products be voted down before the state loses more money and jobs because of what they say is another small business killer. 

Last year, the Federal government levied the highest tax increases in history on cigars and other tobacco products and, immediately thereafter, New York State approved its own increase on the same tobacco products from 37 percent to 46 percent.  Now, Governor David Patterson is proposing to raise the OTP tax again, this time from 46 percent to 90 percent, claiming it would raise an additional $40 million in state revenues.

“That’s outrageous, ludicrous and potentially catastrophic. Already the 46 percent tax increase is resulting in lower tax revenues and several tobacco shops are closing while many others are failing.  Raising that tax to 90 percent will drive the rest of us out of business, force our customers to buy out of state, over the Internet, or look for bootlegged products which are illegal.  The bottom line is that the state will get even less revenues than before because of the lost business and lost jobs,” says Ron Melendi, a fourth generation tobacconist of Cuban descent.

Melendi’s group, the New York State Tobacconists Association, along with the IPCPR and other organizations representing small businesses, are fighting the proposed new tax increase.

Melendi runs De La Concha America, a tobacco store in Manhattan that has been at 1390 Avenue of the Americas for nearly 50 years.  He has been a full-time professional tobacconist for 20 years.  His group represents nearly 100 tobacconists statewide which translates into 1,500 neighborhood jobs throughout New York State that depend on the sale of cigars and other tobacco products.

“We’ve been writing letters, testifying, mobilizing our troops and meeting with state assembly and senate leadership.  We also are appealing to smokers and non-smokers alike because what is happening makes no sense whatsoever. If they want to do what’s right, they will contact their elected state representatives to tell them to vote against this proposal,” said Melendi.

“A 90 percent tax will kill the premium tobacco industry in New York State. Some of our members are already leaving the state or are on the brink of failure.   Our customers will go elsewhere for their cigars and pipe tobacco.  New Jersey’s tax rate is 30 percent and Pennsylvania is one of the few states that does not tax cigars or pipe tobacco.  Buying cigars from out-of-state mail order and Internet dealers results in no taxes for anyone.  And it would also encourage illegal sales of bootlegged tobacco products.  The result would be a decline in jobs and tax receipts for the state, not an increase,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director for the IPCPR.

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PREMIUM CIGAR ASSOCIATION SAYS ORANGE COUNTY SMOKING BAN MAY BE ILLEGAL

Orlando, Florida  May 26, 2010 – Apparently without any public hearings or prior publicity, Orange County Mayor Richard T. Crotty secretly signed an executive order late last year that has kept tens of millions of dollars from pouring into the local economy.  At the same time, the jobs of thousands of county workers are being threatened, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

Crotty signed an executive order that prohibits tobacco use by anyone in any workplace or public area on or in county property.  The order was effective January 1, 2010.  In addition, county employees are required to sign a ‘Tobacco Usage’ affidavit that swears they don’t smoke or be subject to a $25 fee per pay period – up to $650 per year.  The alternative is for the employees who choose to smoke more than four cigars per year to quit their jobs.

“This is an outrageous misuse of power and should be overturned as soon as possible.  It goes way beyond the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act and may well be illegal because of that.  Smokers and non-smokers alike should demand that the order be rescinded and that their politicians stop telling them how to live their lives,” said Jeff Borysiewicz, owner of Corona Cigar Company in Orlando, Florida and Board member of the IPCPR.

He pointed out that tourists and local citizens alike can’t smoke or use any tobacco product on county property – indoors or outdoors.

“That includes the Convention Center, county-owned sidewalks, parking lots, streets, public parks, boat ramps and docks and other county buildings, indoors or out,” said Borysiewicz who has been working to bring the IPCPR convention to Orlando but has hit a brick wall with the mayor’s draconian smoking ban.

“This convention alone attracts some 5,000 attendees and generates an estimated $10 million in economic impact wherever it is held.  Imagine how many other conventions, meetings, visitors and tourists are deterred from coming to Orlando or any of the cities in Orange County because of this extreme ban,” he said.

The IPCPR has more than 2,000 members worldwide, nearly 300 of which are located throughout the state of Florida.  Most of the members are owners of mom-and-pop neighborhood cigar stores.

“The Mayor apparently has a cozy relationship with well-funded anti-smoking organizations when it comes to allowing people to use legal tobacco products that generate massive amounts of taxes that benefit state and federal government programs like children’s healthcare.  Ironically, soon after he signed the order, Orlando County received nearly $7 million in federal stimulus funds that went to the county health department to prevent tobacco usage instead of being used to create jobs,” he added. 

Borysiewicz urged all Orange County residents to show their opposition to this executive order by calling, writing or sending emails to County Mayor Crotty and Commissioners S. Scott Boyd, Fred Brummer, Linda Stewart, Bill Segal and Tiffany Moore Russell.

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Pennsylvania Legislators Consider 30 Percent Tax on OTP

 

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania  May 7, 2010 – If Pennsylvanians are finally getting back on their financial feet, the worst thing state legislators can do is raise their taxes, including a new 30 percent tax on tobacco products other than cigarettes, says the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

The State’s House Appropriations Committee has approved HB 2435 – a 73-page bill which amends the Tax Reform Code with respect to a wide variety of taxes including the sales and use tax vendor discount, corporate net income tax combined reporting, and severance tax.  It also would, for the first time, impose a 30 percent tax on the wholesale cost of OTP – other tobacco products.

“As hungry as the state is for additional revenues, they have to realize that this proposed tax would hurt business more than help raise tax revenues and, in doing so, would do substantial harm to small businesses across the state,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

McCalla pointed out that 70 Pennsylvania-based members of the more than 2,000 IPCPR members do not represent ‘Big Tobacco.’

“We are not ‘big tobacco.’  Premium cigars and premium pipe tobaccos are made primarily by small, family-owned businesses that have been hand-crafting their products for generations.  These premium cigars and tobaccos are then sold by smoke shop owners, largely mom-and-pop operators who employ local citizens, serve their neighbors, and pay federal, state and local sales and payroll taxes,” McCalla said.

He also reminded legislators that tobacco doesn’t pay taxes, people do.

“In the final analysis, it would be Pennsylvania’s citizens – largely the middle-class – who would be hurt and have to pay the additional taxes just to enjoy an occasional premium cigar or bowlful, as they might enjoy a single-malt scotch whiskey or a bottle of good wine,” said McCalla. “They would end up doing without or buying their premium tobacco products out of state or from mail-order houses.  In both cases, the state ends up getting no revenue whatsoever.”

Heavily taxed tobacco products in other states also have encouraged illegal smuggling into those states, McCalla added.

“So, not only would such a tax on cigars potentially cause the loss of businesses, jobs and tax revenues, it would encourage smuggling and other illegal activities in Pennsylvania,” he said.

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Bad News Expected from New Hampshire Tobacco Tax Proposals

Concord, New Hampshire  May 6, 2010 – Most stories have good news and bad news.  This one, according to the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, has the potential of only bad news when it comes to proposed tax increases on tobacco products other than cigarettes in New Hampshire.

The New Hampshire House Finance Committee has voted to raise state taxes on most tobacco products other than cigarettes from 48.59 percent to 65 percent to make the tax more on a par with the current cigarette tax which is $1.78 per pack.

“That’s the bad news.  But it could be worse.  The governor’s proposal was to raise the cigarette tax by 20 cents.  Also, another proposal sought to raise the tax on most other tobacco products by as much as 72 percent,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR, an organization representing some 2,000 retailers and manufacturers of premium cigars and premium pipe tobacco.  Most of the members are small businesses, mom-and-pop neighborhood tobacco shops fighting for survival in a difficult economy.

“Yes, it’s bad, but it could be worse.  One thing for sure is that it’s not over yet,” said McCalla.

The full House is expected to act next week.  The floor vote is expected to be tight with many legislators committed to no further tax increases.  A similarly tight result is expected in the Senate.  Experts are predicting the proposal, if it gets that far, will likely be the subject of a full battle in the House-Senate Committee of Conference.

“We won’t be out of the woods until the legislature’s adjournment which is not expected until June 1,” said McCalla.

McCalla reminded the legislators that higher taxes on tobacco products never result in raising the funds projected.  In fact, they lead to higher prices which force consumers to search for and find other sources for these products, sources that produce no tax revenues for the state and often are illegal.

“Consumers will purchase their tobacco across state borders or over the Internet which would completely eliminate tax revenues to the state from these transactions.  Also, bootlegged product will pour into the state and will lead to illegal sales and, again, no state revenues.  In fact, enforcing tobacco laws will end up costing the state more which would result in negative revenues from these products,” McCalla said.

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IPCPR Hosts Educational Briefing for Congressional Cigar Association

Washington, D.C.  May 3, 2010 --  In May 2009, several Congressional staff members who shared a passion for premium cigars got together and created the Congressional Cigar Association (CCA).  Now 150 strong and growing, the group hosts a variety of social events to educate Congressional staff and Members of Congress about the premium cigar industry as well as share their enjoyment of hand-made cigars and the camaraderie they foster.

Since the beginning, the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association has been an integral part of the growth of CCA, under the leadership of Joe Rowe, executive director, and Chris McCalla, legislative director, with the support and involvement of several retail and associate members of the IPCPR, its Board of Directors under Gary Pesh, and the Board’s Legislative Committee chaired by Ken Neumann, and the Associate Member Advisory Board.

Most recently, the IPCPR hosted an informal Congressional staff briefing for CCA members and other House and Senate staffers on April 29 in the Capitol Visitors Center.  The one-hour briefing featured presentations by Rocky Patel, of Rocky Patel Premium Cigars in Bonita Springs, Florida; Gary Pesh of Old Virginia Tobacco in Warrenton, Virginia; Tiffany Rumbo of Club Humidor in San Antonio, Texas; and Jeff Borysiewicz of Corona Cigar Co. in Orlando, Florida.  

More than 65 staffers showed up to learn how premium cigars are made, about the countries that produce them and the economic impact of the cigar industry in these countries, and about IPCPR retailers, which are largely mom-and-pop small businesses.  In addition, open forum discussions were held, focusing on the effects of legislation on premium cigar retailers, especially tax-based Congressional and regulatory actions.

Attendees also received background information about IPCPR, premium cigars, retailers and manufacturers, and how misinformation about the health aspects of premium cigars and pipe tobacco is misleading opinion leaders and the general public.

“I can’t tell you how many times these staffers walked up to me and said ‘I had no idea!’ regarding the information we shared with them,” said McCalla.  “It was further proof that we need to continue to communicate with legislators, opinion leaders and the general public in order to get our story out regarding the specialness of premium cigars and pipe tobacco.  The fate of our industry could well depend on it.”

The CCA is an official “Congressional Staff Organization,” which is officially recognized by Congress.

“The quarterly cigar events that CCA hosts, along with the educational staff briefings and informal cigar socials, are all opportunities to get together and build relationships.  Sure, we talk about premium cigar and premium tobacco issues, but these staffers are rarely able to get together in a semi-social way to trade opinions over cigars and they are grateful to us for providing them with the platform to do so,” McCalla said.  “IPCPR will continue to support the growth of CCA and partner with them on their upcoming events.”

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FDA and Cigars: Important Notice from IPCPR & CAA International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association (IPCPR)

IPCPR Working with Association's FDA Team, CAA on Latest FDA Notice Regarding Cigars    April 30, 2010--On April 26, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to which the FDA reports, published its semiannual regulatory agenda as required by law. The agenda is an inventory of rulemaking actions currently under development within the Department.   Included under the "Proposed Rule Stage" was a notice that the FDA intends to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking "which would deem cigars to be subject to the Tobacco Control Act and include provisions to address public health concerns raised by cigars."    The notice indicated a target date of June 2010 for publishing the notice.   The Tobacco Control Act that was signed into law in June, 2009 gave FDA the authority over all tobacco products. However, FDA only has immediate authority to regulate cigarettes, cigarette tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco - not cigars or pipe tobacco.    In order to regulate cigars and/or pipe tobacco, the FDA is required to go through a rulemaking process. The notification that the FDA is working on a proposed rule is the beginning of what could be a lengthy process and is difficult to predict when the proposed rule will be issued (FDA frequently misses its target dates).   Once FDA proposes a rule, the agency is required to publish it in the Federal Register and allow at least 60 days for interested parties to comment. That is followed by the FDA's own review period (It is impossible to predict how long FDA will take to evaluate the comments). After that review, FDA could issue another proposed rule, a final rule, or refer a proposed rule to its Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee for a report or recommendation.   It is critical to understand that much is unknown at this time. The lack of detail accompanying the FDA's notice means there is not a lot we know about what FDA might be thinking at this stage. It is important to remain vigilant until more details are known. The IPCPR continues its constant consultation with its FDA consultants to stay on top of this latest development. We also continue talking and the sharing of information with the CAA so everyone may be up-to-date and on the same page.    We will update all of you immediately as new information becomes available.

‘No More Taxes’ Says Premium Cigar Association to NY Legislators

Albany, New York  April 30, 2010 – As part of his $620 million budget gap closing plan, Governor David Patterson of New York has proposed yet another tax increase on tobacco products which the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association says would jeopardize the business of every community tobacconist and cigar shop throughout the state.

Under the Governor’s plan, the tobacco products tax on chewing tobacco, cigars, pipe tobacco and rolling tobacco would be increased from 46 percent of wholesale price to 90 percent of the wholesale price.  In addition, the tax on snuff would be raised from $.90 per ounce to $2.00 per ounce while little cigars would be taxed consistent with the proposed cigarette excise tax of $3.75 per pack, rather than the current rate of 46 percent of wholesale price.

“Not only would the existence of all tobacco shops in New York State be threatened by such tax increases, cigar and tobacco enthusiasts would be harshly impacted,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR, a not-for-profit organization that represents some 2,000 tobacconists, largely small business owners of mom-and-pop neighborhood cigar stores and manufacturers of premium, hand-made cigars.

“Instead of solving the budget dilemma, the Governor would further complicate things by driving cigar smokers and other tobacco users out of state or to make purchases over the Internet, thus avoiding all state taxes.  It would also encourage illegal sales of bootlegged tobacco products.  The result would be a decline in tax receipts for the state, not an increase,” said McCalla.

McCalla said principal arguments being offered in support of higher tobacco taxes are ill-founded and will backfire. He urged New York State voters to contact their elected state officials and tell them they are against any plan that increases tobacco taxes. 

“Such taxes never produce the kinds of new revenues that they are projected to raise.  They actually cost the state revenues because people find other, non-taxable ways to get their tobacco. The state continues to lean on the backs of tobacco – small business owners like our members who are struggling to keep their businesses alive.  With the tight economy, our retailers are providing jobs to their employees and paying taxes that the state needs.  To tax tobacco further will only hinder and possibly jeopardize their operations,” he said.

“The last thing New York State needs now is lower tax revenues, lost jobs and closed businesses,” McCalla said.

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Proposed Extension of 2003 Smoking Ban Called ‘Silly’

Hartford, Connecticut  April 30, 2010 –  With all the important things being considered by The Connecticut General Assembly before its May 5 midnight deadline, some legislators want to extend the 2003 statewide workplace smoking ban by eliminating a provision that exempts establishments that employ up to five people.  The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association calls such a consideration silly and a waste of tax payers’ resources.

The Connecticut Senate voted 24-11 on April 22 and sent to the House a measure that makes the workplace ban apply even to a self-employed individual, whether or not he or she has any employees.

“Are they competing to win the silliness-in-legislation contest?” asked Chris McCalla, legislative director of IPCPR, a not-for-profit organization of some 2,000 small businesses, largely family-owned tobacco stores and manufacturers of premium cigars, pipe tobacco and related accoutrements.

State senators who supported the measure are said to maintain that secondhand smoke is harmful regardless of how many people are employed in a workplace. 

“I guess they never heard of OSHA.  Yes, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, has set safe standards for secondhand smoke that are up to 25,000 times safer than the air quality found in most businesses, including the average restaurant and bar,” McCalla said. “And studies by the American Cancer Society and Johns Hopkins also prove that health claims purported by anti-tobaccophiles are wildly overstated.”

Other legislators like Sen. Rob Kane of Watertown are reported to have said that the bill infringes upon the rights of small businesses.

“Sen. Kane is right, but it infringes upon the rights of all businesses, not just small ones,” said McCalla. “Business owners large and small have the right to determine for themselves whether or not smoking would be allowed in their place of business.  Legislated smoking bans are unconstitutional whether the business is a sole-proprietorship or a major employer.”

McCalla called consideration of the proposed extension a waste of taxpayer resources.

“When state legislators should be focusing on ways to generate new jobs and keep the ones their states already have, here comes Connecticut proposing legislation that penalizes business owners for exercising their right to smoke or not to smoke.  All Connecticut voters – smokers and non-smokers alike – should be chastising their elected state officials for wasting their time on such trivial and ill-conceived issues.”

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Mobile Health Inspectors ‘Out of Bounds’ Says Premium Cigar Association

Mobile, Alabama April 29, 2010 – When a county health department conducts a restaurant inspection, should it deduct points if the restaurant allows smoking on the premises?  No, says the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

The Mobile County Health Department is considering a plan to automatically deduct four points from the health rating of any restaurant where smoking is permitted.  A separate proposal under consideration is the placing of a decal on the front door of any restaurant that allows smoking.  The sticker would warn patrons about the so-called dangers of secondhand smoke.

“They are way out of bounds with these draconian measures,” says Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR, a not-for-profit organization comprised of some 2,000 members, mostly owners of small, family businesses that manufacture, distribute or sell at retail premium cigars and pipe tobacco products and related accoutrements.

“The well-heeled anti-tobacco forces would have you believe that evil things will befall you if you occasionally take a whiff of tobacco smoke in a restaurant, bar or other place of business.  If that were the case, wouldn’t you think that OSHA – the Occupational Safety and Health Administration – would be all over it?  The fact is that OSHA has set safe levels for smoking that are up to 25,000 times higher than normally found in an average bar or restaurant that allows smoking,” McCalla said.

 “First, when a government regulatory agency penalizes restaurant owners for exercising their right to decide how to run their business, it is exceeding its authority and acting unconstitutionally.  It is attacking the rights of smokers and non-smokers, alike.  Second, businesses will suffer and jobs will be lost if such penalties would be allowed to stand.” 

According to McCalla, many of the IPCPR’s retail members sell their premium tobacco products to restaurants who, in turn, sell them to their customers.  To ‘punish’ smoking in restaurants will severely reduce these sales which will translate into reduced excise, sales, and business income tax revenues for Mobile County and the state of Alabama, he said.

“And the saddest part of all of this is that it is so unnecessary,” McCalla said.  “Secondhand smoke air quality testing by groups like Johns Hopkins and the American Cancer Society shows that health claims regarding secondhand smoke are greatly exaggerated.”

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Kansas SB516 Proposes to Increase Tobacco Taxes by Up to 300 Percent

Topeka, Kansas  April 29, 2010 – What if Kansas’ state sales tax went from 5.3 percent to more than 15 percent? How about paying state sales tax of 75 cents per gallon of gas instead of 25 cents?  Those are among the questions being asked by the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association as Kansas legislators consider ways to raise tax revenues instead of lowering expenditures as it seeks to close a budget gap of over $400 million.

The IPCPR, an association of some 2,000 small businesses, largely professional tobacconists who own neighborhood cigar stores, is battling Senate Bill 516 which would increase taxes on tobacco products by up to 300 percent, including those on premium cigars and pipe tobacco.

Well-heeled anti-tobacco forces are running an expensive newspaper and radio campaign claiming that the higher tobacco taxes will help close the budget gap.

“Everyone knows that increased taxes on tobacco products result in lower tax revenues, not higher, because they encourage illegal sales of bootlegged tobacco products and force people to cross borders and use the Internet to purchase their tobacco products.  The net result is the elimination of all tobacco tax receipts from the state’s coffers,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

McCalla said principal arguments being offered in support of higher tobacco taxes are ill-founded and misguided. He urged the public to contact members of the Kansas Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation and tell them they are against SB516 which is currently in review.

“Such taxes never produce the kinds of new revenues that they are projected to raise.  They actually cost the state revenues because people find other, non-taxable ways to get their tobacco, mainly out of state or through illicit avenues.  With the tight economy, our retailers are providing jobs to their employees and paying taxes that the state needs.  To tax them further will only hinder and possibly jeopardize their operations,” he said.

“Kansas residents don’t want to be forced to pay a 15 percent state sales tax or 75 cents in state sales taxes per gallon of gas.  They shouldn’t have to pay taxes on tobacco that are up to three times what it is now.  The last thing Kansas needs now is lower tax revenues, lost jobs and closed businesses,” McCalla said.

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Premium Cigar Manufacturers, Retailers, Consumers Already Paying VAT-Like Tax in U.S.

Columbus, Georgia  April 27, 2010 – The United States already has a Value Added Tax (VAT) or something very close to it, according to an op-ed piece distributed this week to daily and weekly newspapers across the country.  It’s called SCHIP, according to Chris McCalla, legislative director of the association which represents some 2,000 tobacconists nationwide.

McCalla was referring to the controversial European VAT which is being considered for application in the United States on top of other sales taxes and that SCHIP is similarly applied. McCalla explained that SCHIP – the State Children’s Health Insurance Program – is the equivalent of a VAT.

“A VAT by any other name is still a VAT and, whether we like it or not (we don’t), the U.S. is already using a VAT-like tax under the guise of SCHIP which was originally enacted by Congress in 1997 and substantially expanded in early 2009,” said McCalla. 

“SCHIP is … funded entirely by tobacco taxes.  The tobacco industry – including members of (IPCPR) – has always been in favor of healthcare insurance for children, but for its funding to rely solely on the declining base of tobacco federal excise taxes doesn’t make any sense.  Healthcare costs go up and tax receipts go down because fewer people can afford the heavily taxed tobacco products or they find ways to avoid paying any tobacco taxes at all.  Add a so-called VAT and it makes even less sense.” 

He added that VAT is a misnomer.  Instead, “it should be called ‘an excuse to collect a hidden federal sales tax on products every step of the way – from providers of parts and components to manufacturers to wholesalers and retailers.’

“Manufacturers of hand-made cigars, for example, pay the tax when they sell their premium cigars and pipe tobaccos to retail tobacconists.  Then, in most cases, the retailers pay to their state governments a state excise tax on those same tobacco products except that the state excise tax is on the cost of the product including the full amount of the federal SCHIP tax.  That’s what’s happening now:  Our members pay state taxes on top of federal taxes, not just one in addition to another.  VAT would compound that once again.  And, don’t forget state and local sales taxes on top of all that!” he said.

McCalla reminded readers that current sales taxes are only applied when the consumer makes a purchase.

“As it is now, when a manufacturer sells products to a distributor and when the distributor sells his products to a retailer, there is no tax levied or paid, federal or state, except for excise taxes such as on tobacco.  State and local sales taxes are levied when the products are sold to the consumer – you and me. 

“Remember, a VAT is a hidden federal sales tax which will be imposed on that same product and its component parts, every step of the way – from parts suppliers to manufacturers to wholesalers to distributors to retailers, including when it is sold to you and me when the state and local sales taxes are added on top of it all.  It’s a tax on a tax on a tax on a… well, you get the idea.

According to McCalla, either way “we’re screwed.  Paying taxes on taxes and compounding them with more taxes is what it VAT all about.  It will be the end of many businesses – not just smoke shops and cigar bars.  It will mean the loss of many jobs, and it will create pricing of products that will put them out of the reach of many consumers – including you and me.”

McCalla recommended that all U.S. voters – smokers and non-smokers alike – should “become knowledgeable about SCHIP and VAT and, indeed, our nation’s entire system of federal and state taxation and let their elected representatives know how they feel.” 

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Premium Cigar Manufacturers, Retailers, Consumers Already Paying VAT-Like Tax in U.S.

The following is an op-ed written by Chris McCalla, legislative director of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.  Based in Columbus, Ga., the IPCPR represents some 2,000 manufacturers and retailers of premium cigars, pipes and pipe tobacco throughout the United States and elsewhere.  Members of IPCPR are, by and large, small, family-owned neighborhood business owners and professional tobacconists. 

 

=================================================================

Speaking of a VAT…

A VAT by any other name is still a VAT and, whether we like it or not (we don’t), the U.S. is already using a VAT-like tax under the guise of SCHIP which was originally enacted by Congress in 1997 and substantially expanded in early 2009.  VAT stands for ‘value added tax’ which is a misnomer.  It should be called ‘an excuse to collect a hidden federal sales tax on products every step of the way – from providers of parts and components to manufacturers to wholesalers and retailers.’

Hold that thought.  Let’s turn now to SCHIP.

SCHIP is the State Children’s Health Insurance Program which is funded entirely by tobacco taxes.  The tobacco industry – including members of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association – has always been in favor of healthcare insurance for children, but for its funding to rely solely on the declining base of tobacco federal excise taxes doesn’t make any sense.  Healthcare costs go up and tax receipts go down because fewer people can afford the heavily taxed tobacco products or they find ways to avoid paying any tobacco taxes at all.  Add a so-called VAT and it makes even less sense. 

Manufacturers of hand-made cigars, for example, pay the tax when they sell their premium cigars and pipe tobaccos to retail tobacconists.  Then, in most cases, the retailers then pay to their state governments a state excise tax on those same tobacco products except that state excise tax is on the cost of the product including the full amount of the federal SCHIP tax.  That’s what’s happening now:  Our members pay state taxes on top of federal taxes, not just one in addition to another.  And VAT would compound that once again.  And, don’t forget state and local sales taxes on top of all that!

As it is now, when a manufacturer sells products to a distributor and when the distributor sells their products to a retailer, there is no tax levied or paid, federal or state, except for excise taxes such as on tobacco.  State and local sales taxes are levied when the products are sold to the consumer – you and me. 

Now, let’s go back to the VAT.  Remember, a VAT is a hidden federal sales tax which will be imposed on that same product and its component parts, every step of the way – from parts suppliers to manufacturers to wholesalers to distributors to retailers, including when it is sold to you and me when the state and local sales taxes are added on top of it all.  It’s a tax on a tax on a tax on a… well, you get the idea.

Bottom line: we’re screwed.  Paying taxes on taxes and compounding them with more taxes is what it VAT all about.  It will be the end of many businesses – not just smoke shops and cigar bars.  It will mean the loss of many jobs, and it will create pricing of products that will put them out of the reach of many consumers – including you and me.

What should we do about it?  Federal legislators are expected to be considering a VAT soon.  We urge all of their constituents – smokers and non-smokers alike – to become knowledgeable about VAT and, indeed, our nation’s entire system of federal and state taxation and let their elected representatives know how they feel. 

Chris McCalla
Legislative Director
International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers

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Proposed Smoking Ban for Alabama Restaurants Deemed ‘Ludicrous’

 

 

Montgomery, Alabama April 21, 2010 – The smoking ban for all Alabama restaurants currently being considered by state representatives is discriminatory, will cost jobs and tax revenues and is unnecessary, says the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association which labeled the legislation as ‘ludicrous.’.

Senate Bill 541, which proposes to ban smoking in all restaurants throughout the state, passed the Alabama Senate last week, is currently being reviewed by the House and is expected to be voted on during the last night of the session on April 22.

“This is perhaps the most ludicrous piece of legislation any state legislature could waste its efforts on during these troubling economic phase in our history,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR, a not-for-profit organization that represents some 2,000 tobacconists and small business owners throughout the United States.

McCalla went on to explain his position.

“First, when government takes away from restaurant owners their right to decide how to run their business, it is exceeding its authority and acting unconstitutionally.  It is attacking the rights of smokers and non-smokers, alike.  Second, business suffers and jobs are lost under legislated smoking bans.  That was proven by the Federal Reserve Bank based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Third, safe levels of secondhand smoke have been set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and they are 25,000 safer than air quality levels normally found in bars and restaurants that allow smoking.”

According to McCalla, many of the IPCPR’s retail members sell their premium tobacco products to restaurants who, in turn, sell them to their customers.  To ban smoking in restaurants throughout the state will severely reduce these sales which will translate into reduced excise, sales, and business income tax revenues for the state of Alabama, he said.

“And the saddest part of all of this is that it is so unnecessary,” McCalla said.  “Secondhand smoke air quality testing by groups like Johns Hopkins and the American Cancer Society shows that health claims are greatly exaggerated and that secondhand smoke levels in restaurants are up to 25,000 times safer than OSHA workplace air quality regulations.  Additionally, it has been proven that the effect of legislated smoking bans is near fatal to businesses, jobs, and our economy as a whole.”

McCalla urged Alabama voters to contact their representatives and urge them to vote against the unnecessary smoking ban and for legislation that would save jobs and promote business statewide.

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Proposed Kansas Tobacco Tax Increases Will Backfire, says Premium Cigar Association

 

 

Topeka, Kansas  April 20, 2010 – When Kansas lawmakers reconvene April 28, they will be asked to help tackle a projected $467 million shortfall in the state budget with Senate Bill 516 which proposes a hike in Kansas tobacco taxes, a move that will badly backfire, predicts the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

Anti-smoking and other well-heeled tobaccophobic groups are pressuring legislators to more than double the cigarette tax – from $.79 per pack to $1.79 - while raising taxes on other tobacco products like premium cigars and pipe tobacco up to 300 percent. 

The groups are running an expensive newspaper and radio campaign against the efforts of IPCPR, a not-for-profit group representing small businesses such as mom-and-pop tobacco stores and smoke shops.  Part of the prohibitionists’ pitch in seven newspapers and 26 radio stations across the state says the higher tobacco taxes will cut smoking among adults and discourage young people from smoking.

“Everyone knows that increased taxes on tobacco products result in lower tax revenues, not higher, because they encourage illegal sales of bootlegged tobacco products.  People also cross borders and use the Internet to purchase their tobacco products which eliminates all tobacco taxes from the state’s coffers,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

“Increased tobacco taxes are wrong for the times and wrong for Kansas,” he said. 

McCalla said principal arguments being offered in support of higher tobacco taxes are ill-founded and will backfire. He urged the public to contact members of the Kansas Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation and tell them they are against SB516 which they are currently reviewing.

“Such taxes never produce the kinds of new revenues that they are projected to raise.  They actually cost the state revenues because people find other, non-taxable ways to get their tobacco, mainly out of state or through illicit avenues.  The state continues to lean on the backs of tobacco – small business owners like our members who are struggling to stay in business.  With the tight economy, our retailers are providing jobs to their employees and paying taxes that the state needs.  To tax them further will only hinder and possible jeopardize their operations,” he said.

McCalla said that the proposed increase in tobacco taxes would hurt the citizens of Kansas, small businesses and would barely make a dent in the state’s deficit.

“The last thing Kansas needs now is lower tax revenues, lost jobs and closed businesses,” McCalla said.

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Grand Opening of Diamond Crown Lounge at Briar Patch Loehmann’s Plaza Apr. 29

 

 

Sacramento, California   April 19, 2010 – Briar Patch at Loehmann’s Plaza, the area’s newest destination location for premium cigar and pipe smokers, will celebrate the grand opening of its exclusive Diamond Crown Lounge on Thursday, April 29.  Loehmann’s Plaza is located at 2529 Fair Oaks Blvd in Sacramento, California.

Owner Ron Michelson is staging the upscale event from 6:00 pm until 9:00 pm featuring appetizers from Morton’s Steakhouse, wine poured by David Cole from the James David Winery, and Peter Kagstrom on the piano.  Tickets to the event may be obtained for $24.95 per person at the Loehmann’s Plaza Briar Patch as well as the Briar Patch Smoke Shop in Sacramento’s Arden Fair Mall at 1689 Arden Way.

Bobby Newman, Executive Vice President of JC Newman Cigars, makers of Diamond Crown Cigars and U.S. distributors of Arturo Fuente Cigars, is hosting the event.  Guests must be 21 years of age or older to attend.  Each will receive a Diamond Crown Maximus Churchill cigar and a Diamond Crown Pyramid #7 cigar valued together at $44. 

Special discounts on all boxes of Diamond Crown Cigars will be available plus a Diamond Crown leather cigar case loaded with three Diamond Crown cigars.  Items to be raffled to box purchasers include a Diamond Crown humidor, Diamond Crown tee shirts and a six month membership to the Briar Patch’s Diamond Crown Lounge.

Membership in the Diamond Crown Lounge is available in a variety of packages - each with various benefits and privileges.  The 1,000 sq. ft. lounge within the 2,300 sq. ft. smoke shop includes comfortable leather chairs, 62-in. HDTV, cable, Blue Ray DVD, piano, game table, high speed WiFi, ice maker, honor system drinks and more.

Briar Patch Smoke Shops feature the largest inventories of premium cigars, pipes, pipe tobaccos and accessories in the area.  The Loehmann’s Plaza location boasts the largest cigar humidor in Sacramento.

“At both Briar Patch Smoke Shops and particularly at our new Diamond Crown Lounge in our Loehmann’s Plaza location, we have created an environment aimed at fostering leisurely pleasures where good friends and great cigars and pipes can come together,” Michelson said.

For more information about Briar Patch, go to www.briarpatch.biz.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Michael Herklots’ Annual Birthday Party Fundraiser:
May 3rd & 4th in New York City

New York, NY, April 5, 2010 – Michael Herklots, General Manager of the Davidoff of Geneva flagship stores in New York City, has announced the dates for this year’s annual birthday party fundraiser for Killingly High School’s “Learning for Life Fund”. Normally a one evening affair, this year’s festivities will be divided into two nights. Monday, May 3, 2010, will be a party at The Carnegie Club (156 W. 56th St.) in New York City from 6:00pm until 10:00pm featuring raffles, auctions and premium cigars as well as a few celebrity appearances as always. Past guests have included actors Tony Darrow, Frank Vincent, and Arthur Nascarella and entertainment reporter, Bill McCuddy. This event is open to all who make a donation. On Tuesday, May 4, a private dinner will be hosted at Manhattan’s Grand Havana Room, a private cigar club in the former “Top of the Sixes” space on the 39th Floor of 666 Fifth Avenue. Dinner will include fine wine and cigars as well as a silent and live auction. Tickets may be purchased by calling 212-751-9060.

Every year since 2005 Herklots has hosted a birthday party in New York City as an opportunity to raise money for his high school alma mater, Killingly High School in Danielson, CT (class of 1998). Since its inception, Herklots’ event has raised over $70,000 for the school’s “Learning for Life Fund” through a network of supporters from as far as Argentina, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua and throughout North America .

“I’m always humbled at the outpouring of support every year from people who, though they’re not personally connected to this particular cause, continue to fund it with incredible generosity” said Herklots. “Of course once they support it and receive regular correspondence from the school to see just how far their money goes, it becomes personal for them as well.” The School-to-Career program sends regular newsletters to the donors providing updates on the individual achievements of each “career pathway” as well as a financial breakdown on how the money is being used.

Bob Brennan, School-to-Career Coordinator at Killingly High School said, “On behalf of the 15 School-to-Career Pathway Instructors, Support Staff, and the 785 students at Killingly High School we say thank you to each of the 86,400 seconds of today and each day beyond to Michael Herklots and the Learning for Life Fund constituents for their continued financial support to our exemplary model program".

As for this year’s event, according to Herklots, “The current economic situation has been a challenging one, especially for charities but I’m confident this will be a successful year as always, and will no doubt continue to help change the lives of young people in the Killingly Public School System.”

About Michael Herklots: Michael Herklots is General Manager of Davidoff of Geneva’s flagship stores in New York City. Herklots regularly hosts events and seminars around the country on cigars and travels frequently to the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua. Herklots is a Certified Master Tobacconist by Tobacconist University, a teacher for the American Sommelier Association, and a contributing author for several national publications.

About Killingly High School’s Learning for Life Fund: The “Learning for Life Fund” was created in 2005 in order to raise additional revenue to help supplement the costs of Killingly High School’s award winning “Career Pathways Program”. The monies are used to assist in financing specific projects that cannot be covered by the limited education budget.

Contact Persons: Robert Brennan, Michael Herklots
Contact: Killingly High School
Telephone Number: (860) 779-6663
Fax Number: (860) 774-0846
Email: rbrennan@killinglyschools.org, michaelherklots@gmail.com
URL: http://www.killinglyschools.org/khs/site/default.asp

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‘CIGAR AUTHORITY’ TO APPEAR WEEKLY ON A COMPUTER NEAR YOU

 

Salem, New Hampshire  April 1, 2010 – The Cigar Authority, a new Internet broadcast featuring premium cigars, accessories and lifestyle programming, launches Saturday, April 3 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time at www.TheCigarAuthority.com. The first show will be broadcast from Two Guys Smoke Shop at 304 South Broadway in Salem, New Hampshire. 

The live, weekly two-hour video program is believed to be the first of its kind focusing on premium cigars, their related accessories and lifestyle.  Every Saturday morning, a team of knowledgeable and affable co-hosts who are experts in their respective fields will smoke, talk about and judge premium cigars, cigar accessories and the finer things in life

“We may partake in fine wines and great foods as well as premium, hand made cigars,” said Tommy Grella, former Food Network TV chef, financial planner and cigar junkie who is one of The Cigar Authority co-hosts.  Grella said the fast-paced program will include guests, phone-ins, contests, giveaways, information and fun.

Night club comedian and cigar smoking funny guy Johnny Joyce also will be on the panel.  Joyce will help keep things moving along while sharpening his cigar smoking skills at the same time. 

David Garofalo, owner of three Two Guys Smoke Shop retail cigar stores in New Hampshire will provide his 25-years of tobacco expertise to the program which will be broadcast live from one of his shops each week in full view of all who come in to the store.

On the control board running the show is Mr. Jonathan, an entertainer, director, and professional DJ who will manage the show’s production and chime in as a seasoned cigar smoker himself. 

Re-runs on the weekly show and information about upcoming programs will be available on The Cigar Authority web site at www.TheCigarAuthority.com.

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Two Guys Celebrates Silver Anniversary with Silver Bars and Silver Spur

Salem, New Hampshire  March 26, 2010  - Two Guys Smoke Shop of Salem, Nashua, and Seabrook, New Hampshire will celebrate its 25^th anniversary on September 22 by giving away 250 silver bars and a Rolls Royce Silver Spur.  Tickets for the event go on sale May 1.

Two Guys has become known for its elaborate anniversary events which have included everything from giving away motorcycles, a Hummer H2 automobile, elaborate trips and cash.  They’ve hosted game show presentations and put together a mixed martial arts event.  They even gave away a tanker truck of 10,000 gallons of gasoline during the gas crunch. 

This year’s event is expected to top them all, according to owner and Two Guys’ founder, Dave Garofalo.  That’s when Two Guys will give away 250 solid silver bars minted especially for the occasion.  They’re also giving away Garofalo’s personal classic Rolls Royce Silver Spur automobile.

“With all the talk about the value of the U.S. dollar dropping and the safety, security and popularity of pure silver, we thought 250 solid silver bars and my luxurious Rolls Royce Silver Spur would put this event over the top,” he said.

When the doors open at 6:00 p.m. on September 22 at DiBurro’s Function Facility in Ward Hill, Massachusetts, some 400 guests will be participating in what is believed to be the biggest, most prestigious, prize-filled and fun-laden event of its kind ever staged by a retail cigar business.

This Silver Anniversary cigar event will include a five course dinner, 25 premium cigars per person, music, comedy, meet-and-greets with the biggest names in the world of hand-crafted cigars and a wide variety of door prizes including the 250 solid silver bars and Garofalo’s personal, white Rolls-Royce Silver Spur automobile.

The bars, freshly minted by the Sunshine Mint in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, are solid .999 fine silver proofs that will showcase Two Guys Smoke Shop’s 25^th Anniversary seal on the obverse and 25 featured premium cigar brand logos on the reverse to immortalize the event. 

“The 25 selected cigar brands will be showcased on the mirror-like finish of the silver bars and every guest will receive a cigar from each of them.  Each guest will have the chance of winning one the evening’s door prizes which will include the Rolls Royce Silver Spur and the 250 silver bars,” according to Garofalo.     

Major cigar celebrities expected to attend include Christian Eiora (Camacho Cigars); Nick Perdomo (Perdomo Cigars); Alan Rubin (Alec Bradley Cigars); Jonathan Drew (Drew Estates); Rocky Patel; Eric Newman (J.C. Newman); Litto Gomez (La Flor Dominicana); Carlito Fuente (Fuente Fuente Opus X); Joe Chiusano (Cusano Cigars); and Jorge Padron (Padron Cigars), to name a few. 

“The excitement, camaraderie and sheer value of the event this year will be even greater than years past.  It’s always the hottest ticket in town,” Garofalo boasts.

Tickets cost $200 each and go on sale at 10:00 a.m. May 1 at all Two Guys Smoke Shop locations.  Tickets are also available by calling Two Guys’ mail-order department at 888-2-CIGAR-2 or online at www.2GuysSmokeShop.com.

Two Guys Smoke Shop locations are at 304 South Broadway in Salem NH; 15 Spit Brook Road in Nashua NH; and 741 Lafayette Road in Seabrook, NH.

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Premium Cigar Association Lauds Indiana Legislature

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana  March 17, 2010 – The Indiana General Assembly adjourned last week before acting on a proposed statewide smoking ban that would have cost the state untold jobs and tax revenues, said the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

This session’s rejected smoking ban was the fourth bid by Rep. Charlie Brown of Gary, Indiana to ban smoking in all public places except casinos and horse tracks.

“Our Indiana association members and their customers had a lot to do with effectively defeating this proposed legislation,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.  “They contacted their state representatives and senators in opposition to the bill because it was discriminatory, unnecessary and it would have cost jobs and tax revenues.”

 McCalla explained that legislated smoking bans are not only unnecessary, they attack the personal rights of smokers and non-smokers, alike.  It is the right of every business owner to declare their businesses smoke-free or not, he added.

 “It is not up to government to make that decision,” declared McCalla, “and customers can decide for themselves if they want to patronize a place that does or does not allow smoking on the premises.  I think people are getting fed up with government telling them what they can and cannot do,” McCalla said.

In response to Brown’s claims that smoking bans do not hurt revenue at bars and restaurants, McCalla cited the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis regarding the proven negative effects on businesses from legislated smoking bans.

“The Fed has found that, based on impartial data generated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, significant employment declines result from forced smoking bans, especially in bars and restaurants due to lost revenues,” he said.

McCalla also said a smoking ban that includes cigar stores, smoke shops and cigar bars would have a ruinous effect on those family-owned neighborhood businesses.

“The General Assembly did the right thing at the right time for the state of Indiana and for that we are grateful. If the issue is raised again in the future, however, we will be ready once again to defend our rights and the rights of all the state’s citizens and help defeat any such bills,” McCalla said.

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Premium Cigar Association Opposes Proposed Indiana Smoking Ban

 

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana  March 5, 2010 – Rep. Charlie Brown just doesn’t get it.  Legislated smoking bans are not only unnecessary, they are an affront to the personal rights of smokers and non-smokers, alike, and they cost tax revenues and jobs and result in more failed businesses, says the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

Brown keeps introducing bills like a current amendment to Senate Bill 175 that bans smoking in all public places except casinos and horse tracks.  He has been voted down repeatedly in the past without serious consideration.  This time, the bill – complete with Brown’s amendment - is headed for debate in a conference committee hearing scheduled for next week.

Chris McCalla, legislative director for the IPCPR, called Brown “misguided and misinformed.”

“Rep. Brown is wrong when he says there is a ‘dire need’ to protect Indiana’s citizens from secondhand smoke.  Study after study exists that prove secondhand smoke is not harmful.  Even the Occupational Safety and Health Administration says so.  OSHA has established safe levels for secondhand smoke that are 25,000 times safer than air quality in most bars and restaurants,” said McCalla.

McCalla said it is the right of every business owner to declare their businesses smoke-free or not. 

“It is not up to government to make that decision,” he declared. “And customers can decide for themselves if they want to patronize a place that does or does not allow smoking on the premises.  I think people are getting fed up with government telling them what they can and cannot do,” McCalla said.

In response to Brown’s claims that smoking bans do not hurt revenue at bars and restaurants, McCalla cited the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis regarding the proven negative effects on businesses from legislated smoking bans.

“The Fed has found that, based on impartial data generated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, significant employment declines result from forced smoking bans, especially in bars and restaurants due to lost revenues,” he said.

McCalla also said a smoking ban that includes cigar stores, smoke shops and cigar bars would have a ruinous effect on those family-owned neighborhood businesses.

“Twenty-six percent of Hoosier adults smoke,” said McCalla.  “That may not be a majority of Indiana voters, but it’s more than enough to make a difference come election time.  Legislators need to remember that.”

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Proposed Kansas Tobacco Tax Increases Not Funny, Says Premium Cigar Association

Topeka, Kansas  March 5, 2010 – It may sound like the theme of a Jim Carrey comedy – First, we ban smoking, then we raise tobacco taxes – but members of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association in Kansas aren’t finding this ironic potential scenario very funny.

Last month, the Kansas legislature passed and Gov. Mark Parkinson signed a comprehensive ban against smoking in restaurants, bars and most workplaces.  Now, with the governor’s support, some state lawmakers are poised to increase taxes on most tobacco products from 10 percent to 40 percent.  The Senate Committee on Assessment and Taxation will hear public testimony for SB516 on Wednesday, March 10.  Several IPCPR members plan to testify against the bill.

“It would be funny if it weren’t so serious.  Two wrongs don’t make a right,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

“Legislated smoking bans violate the personal rights of everyone – smokers and non-smokers, alike - and everyone knows that increased taxes on tobacco products result in lower tax revenues because they encourage illegal sales of bootlegged tobacco products.  People also cross borders and use the Internet to purchase their tobacco products which eliminates all tobacco taxes from the state’s coffers,” said McCalla.

 “All legislated smoking bans should be abolished, and a tobacco tax increase is wrong for the times and wrong for Kansas,” said McCalla.  His organization is a not-for-profit group of more than 2,000 cigar store owners and manufacturers and distributors of premium cigars and pipe tobacco.

McCalla said most IPCPR members are owners of small, mom-and-pop operations that pay taxes and employ local people.  Legislated smoking bans and higher tobacco taxes, he said, result in lower sales of premium cigars, pipe tobacco and other tobacco products which, in turn, reduce tax revenues for the state and, more importantly, result in lost jobs and failed businesses.

“The last thing Kansas needs is lower tax revenues, lost jobs and closed businesses,” McCalla said.

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CORRECTION: Premium Cigar Association Teams with Americans for Tax Reform against Georgia Legislators

 

 

CORRECTION  Atlanta, Georgia March 8, 2010 – The Georgia House of Representatives is moving to increase state excise taxes on cigarettes by 270 percent and pipe and smokeless tobacco by 150 percent that the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association and Americans for Tax Reform are having none of.

House Bill 39 aims to increase state cigarette taxes from the current $.37 per pack to $1.37 per pack and state taxes on loose and smokeless tobacco would go up 150 percent from 10 percent of wholesale value to 25 percent of wholesale cost.

In a letter to Georgia House and Senate Taxpayer Protection Pledge signers, the ATR said, “A vote in favor of this tax hike would be a violation of the… commitment you made to your constituents to oppose any and all tax increases.”

The letter also pointed out that Georgia’s nearby states have an average cigarette tax of $.36 per pack.  If the tax hike is passed, Georgians will have to pay $1.37 in state taxes per pack, nearly quadruple that of their neighbors.  In a similar situation, Maryland raised the state’s tobacco tax last year to cover a projected budget shortfall.  However, the problem was only made worse when tobacco sales fell 25% after consumers drove to nearby states with lower tax rates to make their tobacco purchases.

Chris McCalla, legislative director of the Columbus, Georgia-based IPCPR, agreed with the ATR’s position that, “It is critical to revitalize Georgia’s economy with tax cuts, not tax increases. We must lift the burden of larger government from the backs of hardworking taxpayers and consumers instead of further depressing economic activity.”

Although premium cigars are not included in the proposed tax hike, McCalla said the IPCPR’s position was preemptive and aimed at attempting to protect the long-range business interests of its members and the rights of Georgia consumers.

McCalla recounted a story told to him by Brett Chastain, owner of the Sweetbriar Smoke Shop in Columbus, Georgia. Chastain’s location serves the Ft. Benning area and many of his pipe tobacco customers are retired military on fixed income.

“These people, our heroes, are very sensitive to tax increases. The proposed state tax increase on pipe tobacco would further exacerbate the pricing issues brought on earlier this year by a 158 percent increase in the federal tax on pipe tobacco.  It went from $1.10 per pound to $2.83 per pound. And Georgia wants to add to that an increase of 150 percent in state taxes? What are they thinking?” McCalla asked.

 

 

Premium Cigar Group Labels Columbia Study as Corrupt Misuse of Junk Science

 

Columbus, Georgia  March 3, 2010 -- Conclusions made by a new study of cigar and pipe smoking by researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center are not supported by the study’s findings, says the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association, a not-for-profit group of premium cigar retailers and manufacturers. 

 

The study, published last month in the Annals of Internal Medicine, was funded primarily by grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Institutes of Health.  The study concludes that “physicians should… counsel cessation of pipe and cigar smoking….”  

“Nothing in the study justifies this erroneous conclusion.  It is prejudicial and preconceived, thereby justifying the labeling of the survey as being a corrupt misuse of junk science,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR which is comprised largely of some 2,000 neighborhood mom-and-pop retail stores and family-owned manufacturers of premium cigars, pipes, tobacco and related accoutrements.

McCalla cited several features of the study that he said support his group’s position:

1. Of 3,528 participants in the study, only 58 had ever smoked cigars or pipes and not cigarettes, and only 428 had smoked pipes or cigars along with cigarettes.
2. Only 47 of the subjects were current cigar smokers, of which only 16 were current cigar smokers who had never smoked cigarettes.
3. Of the cigar smokers, 95 percent were male, but only 34 percent of non-smokers were men.
4. There was no effort in the study to determine the type of cigar smoked – machine-made or premium, hand-made cigars.
5. The study showed no clinical effect on lung function in cigar smokers.
6. There were no differences in airflow obstruction between cigar smokers and non-smokers.
7. Cotinine levels (a form of nicotine) were similar in cigar smokers and non-smokers.

“The study found no clinical differences between cigar smokers and non-smokers and to draw conclusions to the contrary is to participate in a conspiracy of public disinformation and deception,” McCalla said.

http://www.annals.org/content/152/4/201.abstract?aimhp

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Premium Cigar Association Questions Missouri Smoking Ban Proposal

St. Louis, Missouri  February 26, 2010 – With Missouri’s unemployment rate hovering around 10 percent, the state’s legislators have taken their eyes off job creation as a priority and are pandering to powerful neo-prohibitionists and anti-tobacco interests instead, said the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

Statewide smoking bans have been proposed in the Missouri Senate and House of Representatives that would prohibit smoking in restaurant, bars, shopping malls, gambling facilities and other public places.  The House bill was crafted by the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society, two organizations that receive millions of dollars from companies that produce nicotine replacement products.

“Jobs are lost and businesses suffer as a result of legislated smoking bans, and a statewide ban would further add to Missouri’s labor miseries,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

McCalla cited the Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis regarding the proven negative effects on businesses from legislated smoking bans.

“The Fed has found that, based on impartial data generated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, significant employment declines result from forced smoking bans, especially in bars and restaurants,” he said.

“The marketplace is deciding what businesses should allow smoking or not, and that’s the way it should be.  Government shouldn’t be taking away the rights of business owners to run their enterprises as the market dictates, not big government.  There are plenty of restaurants and other businesses that already have declared themselves smoke-free, so there’s no need to take away the rights of other business owners by forcing them to ban smoking on their premises,” McCalla said.

“For those questioning overstated claims regarding the health aspects of incidental secondhand smoke, I would refer them to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.  OSHA has set acceptable levels for secondhand smoke up to 25,000 safer than normally found in restaurants and bars,” he added.

McCalla explained that the IPCPR is a group of some 2,000 retailers, manufacturers and distributors of premium cigars, pipes and related items, most of whom are mom-and-pop operators – small business owners whose neighborhood businesses serve their respective communities.   

“We do not represent ‘big tobacco.’ Our members have every right to sell their legal products to adults and their customers should have every right to enjoy those products on premise and off where permitted by business owners, not by legislated decrees.  The legislature should be spending their time creating jobs, not sacrificing them to special interest groups,” McCalla said.

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Utah Legislators Ill-advised in Moves Against Tobacco, Says Premium Cigar Association

Salt Lake City, Utah February 25, 2010 – The efforts of some Utah state legislators to out-do one another in their efforts to ban and tax legal tobacco products work against each other and are going to backfire, says the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.

“These kinds of proposals are ill-advised and should be dumped as bad ideas,” according to Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR which maintains that business owners should be left to decide for themselves to ban or not to ban and that Governor Gary R. Herbert has promised “no new taxes of any kind.”

“Increased tobacco taxes would bring a burden of higher costs and broken promises to nearly 10 percent of the Utah adult population that smokes, most of whom will simply buy their tobacco online or out of state to avoid paying these new taxes,” according to McCalla.

“Not all tobacco products are the same. Premium cigars and pipes are different from, say, cigarettes in that they are discretionary products enjoyed only occasionally like a fine wine or single-malt scotch. As a result, they should be taxed differently.”

McCalla suggested that the current 35 percent excise tax on tobacco products other than cigarettes could be replaced by a 50 cent tax cap per hand-made cigar. He said such a tax is generating positive results in five other states, including Oregon, Washington, Rhode Island, Iowa and Wisconsin.

The IPCPR is a non-profit organization of more than 2,000 cigar store owners and manufacturers and distributors of premium cigars and pipe tobacco.

McCalla said most IPCPR members are owners of small, mom-and-pop operations that pay taxes and employ local people. Legislated smoking bans, he said, result in lower sales of premium cigars, pipe tobacco and other tobacco products which reduce tax revenues for the state and, more importantly, result in lost jobs and failed businesses.

“The last thing Utah needs is lower tax revenues, lost jobs and closed businesses,” McCalla said.

The public is being scammed by what McCalla called “neo-prohibitionists and tobaccophiles hell-bent on spreading lies to build their own power.”

“The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has, indeed, established safe levels of tobacco smoke and those levels are up to 25,000 higher than normally found in any bar or restaurant,” McCalla pointed out.

Instead, McCalla suggested that the free market continue to set its own rules by having business owners decide whether or not their establishments should be smoke-free.

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IPCPR Tobacconists, Pipe Smokers
Celebrate Int’l Pipe Smoking Day, Feb. 20

 

St. Louis, Missouri  February 15, 2010 – St. Louis, Missouri will be a center of the pipe smoking world at noon this Saturday, February 20.

That’s when International Pipe Smoking Day will be celebrated at the 22nd Annual Gateway Area Pipe Show at the Heart of St. Charles Banquet Center.  Local briar lovers will be raising their pipes in a salute to their pipe smoking brothers and sisters around the world as a show of friendship and unity that reaches across all borders, according to the Bob Callaway, spokesperson for the St. Louis Pipe Club, sponsor of the show.

International Pipe Smoking Day was designated by a group on Smokers Forums three years ago as a day on which pipe smokers everywhere could tell their story and educate others about the rich history and traditions of the noble art of pipe smoking. The group dedicated it to the worldwide community of pipe smokers that is bound together by a shared love of pipes, pipe collecting and the social aspect of pipe smoking. They respect informed choice and the responsible adult use of smoking tobacco and envision a world where governments act in good faith and integrity.

"International Pipe Smoking Day provides an opportunity for briar lovers everywhere to stand up and demonstrate with pride that we are still enjoying our pipes despite all the restrictions and increased tobacco taxes that the anti-tobacco forces have imposed on us. They just don't understand the significant benefits that pipe smoking offers," Callaway said.

International Pipe Smoking Day is supported by the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association of some 2,000 retailers of premium tobacco products; the International Committee of Pipe Clubs, which has members in more than 25 countries; and by the United Pipe Clubs of America, with its more than 20 member clubs in the United States.  Many other pipe clubs in this country and abroad also will hold special events on or around February 20 to mark the day.

"Our motto is 'Relax with Your Pipe' and that's the idea we want to get across," says Vernon Vig, President of UPCA which, according to the organization’s website was founded in 2002 to promote and protect the interests of the American pipe smoking community.

"Pipe smokers are mature, considerate adults. We don't want to bother anyone, and all we ask in return is a little common sense and consideration on the part of others," said Vig.

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OSHA SETS SAFE LEVELS OF SECONDHAND SMOKE

“There are no safe levels of secondhand smoke in the workplace.”

The next time you hear someone say this, tell the speaker he or she is misinformed, flat out wrong or full of crap, depending on your mood and the occasion.  Tell him or her that there, indeed, are safe levels of secondhand smoke as established by no less an authority than the United States Government.  In fact, it was the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration that set the safe air quality standard for secondhand smoke.

OSHA  has established safe levels (otherwise known as permissible exposure limits or PELs) of secondhand smoke in the workplace and those safe levels are up to 25,000 times higher than are normally found in bars and restaurants.

Let’s take that last statement apart to be sure we understand its component facts.

What’s is a PEL?  PEL stands for permissible exposure limit.  PELs are OSHA safe acceptable levels of exposure to humans for an eight hour day, 40 hours per week time period.  The PEL for nicotine as established by OSHA is .5 mg.

Why measure nicotine?  Why not measure formaldehyde or benzene which are also found in secondhand smoke?  Nicotine is the only unique trace chemical in secondhand smoke.  If you measured for formaldehyde, for example, the carpet and other interior sources of formaldehyde would corrupt the test result.  Besides, formaldehyde is formed naturally in the atmosphere due to photochemical oxidation.  Benzene? Benzene is given off from burning foods in the kitchen or diesel exhaust outdoors so, again, a false reading would be obtained.

Therefore, nicotine is the ideal chemical to measure to determine secondhand smoke concentrations in the air.

Actually, you could measure every airborne chemical in secondhand smoke and compare them to OSHA guidelines for each specific chemical and you would find the results to be the same, if not even more dramatic.

What studies prove air quality standards in the workplace are within the OSHA PEL for secondhand smoke?   There are  many.  For one, Oak Ridge National Laboratory testing confirms that air quality testing of secondhand smoke in bars and restaurants "...concluded that exposures to respirable suspended particulate matter (RSP), for example, were considerably below limits (safer than) established by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for the workplace....."

OSHA, itself, says "Field studies of environmental tobacco smoke indicate that under normal conditions, the components in tobacco smoke are diluted below existing Permissible Exposure Levels (PELS) as referenced in the Air Contaminant Standard (29 CFR 1910.1000)...It would be very rare to find a workplace with so much smoking that any individual PEL would be exceeded."

In fact, our claim that ‘OSHA’s safe level of secondhand smoke is up to 25,000 times higher than is normally found in bars and restaurants’ is based primarily on studies by the American Cancer Society.

What the American Cancer Society has proven in conducting air quality testing of secondhand smoke is that secondhand smoke absolutely does not constitute a health hazard justifying a government mandated smoking ban.

The American Cancer Society measured the air quality for secondhand smoke in several venues.  ACS tested by measuring the "marker" chemical in secondhand smoke -nicotine.  The results ranged from 20 -940 nanograms / cu. M.  (A nanogram is 10 (-9) of a gram or 0.000000001 of a gram which is also 0.000001 of a mg (milligram).   OSHA safe level 0.5 mg divided by ACS result 20 nanograms, which is also 0.000020 of a mg. Thus, 0.5 /0.00002 = 25,000 times safer than OSHA regulations.

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/pel/standards.html

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9992

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2009/12/secondhand-smoke-is-not-workplace.html

http://cleanairquality.blogspot.com/2007/04/bmj-published-air-quality-test-results.html

 Provided by International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers

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Cigar Store Owners Oppose Massachusetts Governor on Proposal to Increase Tobacco Taxes

Boston, Massachusetts February 1, 2010 – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick submitted a $28.2 billion state budget for fiscal 2011 last week.  To partially offset the three percent increase over 2010, Patrick’s budget proposal calls for raising the current 30 percent excise tax on cigars and smoking tobacco to 110 percent and 120 percent, respectively.  The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association respectfully disagrees with this strategy.

“It’s outrageous to put the burden of budget management on the backs of cigar smokers.  They ought to be finding jobs instead of creating job-killing new taxes,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.

The association represents some 2,000 members, most of whom are small business owners of mom-and-pop neighborhood cigar stores along with premium cigar manufacturers and distributors of related merchandise.  Nearly 40 of those members reside, work and run their businesses in the state of Massachusetts.

McCalla pointed out that studies prove that higher taxes on tobacco products like premium cigars never produce the revenues they were designed to bring in.  In fact, he said, they result in lower sales which cost jobs, closed businesses, and significantly reduce the very tax revenues for which they were originally created.

“When tobacco taxes go up, especially those on discretionary products like premium cigars which are enjoyed only occasionally, consumers will find less expensive sources for their favorite cigars.  They will turn to the Internet and mail order as well as go across state borders or even resort to buying bootlegged products.  That creates a  lose-lose situation: neighborhood cigar retailers lose sales and the state loses all that tax revenue,” said McCalla.

According to McCalla, tobacco taxes are regressive and disproportionately burden lower- and middle-income earners, even among premium cigar smokers.

“Tobacco taxes also tend to be unreliable and unsustainable sources of revenue and don’t result in real budget fixes.  They hurt local businesses and the overall economy.  The unintended consequences for individual states and the American society as a whole can be avoided with application of sound fiscal policies and real budget reforms instead of bad tax policy,” McCalla said.

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Mood of America Says No New Taxes in Utah, Reminds Cigar Group

Salt Lake City, Utah January 27, 2010 – As Utah legislators contemplate raising taxes on tobacco products, the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association is reminding them that voters across the board are against new taxes and favor delivery on campaign promises.

Some Utah state representatives and senators are talking about new tobacco taxes even as Governor Gary Herbert has proclaimed that there shall be no new taxes of any kind.  The IPCPR, a non-profit association of some 2,000 retail tobacconists and manufacturers and distributors of premium cigars, pipes, tobaccos and related accessories, called this the kind of “disconnect” that is leading to voter revolts across America.

“Utah voters are among the most savvy in the country,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR.  “They know when they are being led down a primrose path intentionally or otherwise by their legislators who say one thing and do another.  And, when legislators do what the voters don’t want done, new, more responsive legislators are elected by those voters.”

McCalla said it was important for Utah legislators to realize that the reasons they have been given by anti-tobacco groups to call for across the board tax increases on all tobacco products reflect the misguided conclusions of poorly informed special interest groups.

“First, the governor said ‘no new taxes of any kind’.  Increased tobacco taxes would bring a burden of higher costs and broken promises to nearly 10 percent of the Utah adult population that smokes, most of whom will simply buy their tobacco online or out of state to avoid paying these new taxes.

“Second, not all tobacco products are the same.  Premium cigars and pipes are different from, say, cigarettes in that they are discretionary products enjoyed only occasionally like a fine wine or single-malt scotch.  As a result, they should be taxed differently.” 

McCalla suggested that the current 35 percent excise tax on tobacco products other than cigarettes could be replaced by a 50 cent tax cap per hand-made cigar. He said such a tax  is generating positive results in five other states, including Oregon, Washington, Rhode Island, Iowa and Wisconsin.

“Third, human behavior can’t be legislated.  Some lawmakers say increased tobacco taxes will prevent youths from smoking. That would be throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Our IPCPR retail members are adamantly diligent about selling their products only to age-appropriate adult customers.  For other retailers, there are plenty of laws on the books that, enforced properly, will accomplish that same objective. Besides, those neo-prohibitionists who make unsubstantiated claims of youth smoking are basing their estimates on overly vivid imaginations.”

McCalla urged Utah legislators to drop their consideration of “job-killing higher tobacco taxes that will actually result in lower tax revenues because people will find ways to avoid paying those new taxes.”

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Cigar Store Owners Express Concern Over Proposed Statewide Smoking Bans

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana  January 22, 2010 – Three bills aimed at banning smoking throughout Indiana are causing concern to members of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association because smoking bans put their businesses and thousands of jobs at stake as well as millions of dollars in tax revenues.

The two bills introduced in the state Senate – SB233 and SB95 – ban smoking in most public places and places of employment.  Both bills exempt retail tobacco shops.  The bill in the House – HB1131 – is similar to the Senate versions but does not exempt retail tobacco shops. None of the bills exempts cigar bars.

“Citizens of Indiana – smokers and non-smokers – should be incensed over their legislators wasting time with frivolous and job-killing issues like smoking bans,” said Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR, a non-profit association of more than 2,000 small business owners that include of cigar store owners and manufacturers and distributors of premium cigars, pipes, tobaccos and related accessories.

McCalla reminded the legislators that the federal government recently increased excise taxes on tobacco in order to fund health insurance for children and that any smoking ban would lead to decreased funding for that program, commonly known as SCHIP.

“These bills – especially the House version - are blatantly hurtful to Indiana’s economy.  Instead, legislators should be finding ways to create more jobs, raise more tax revenues through stimulated sales, and boost our economy instead of tearing it down,” he said.

McCalla pointed out that there is no study showing that patrons or employees are harmed by exposure to the low levels of smoke found in bars and restaurants.  As to some people being annoyed by others’ smoking, any facility with decent modern ventilation and filtration systems would avoid that issue, he said.

“We strongly urge Indiana state legislators to defeat these bills because legislated smoking bans have proven to negatively and needlessly impact jobs and the economy according to the Federal Reserve Bank based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Legislated smoking bans also unnecessarily strip away the individual rights of business owners, their employees and customers,” McCalla said.

McCalla said more businesses than ever are declaring themselves smoke-free, based on customer preference and that legislated smoking bans run contrary to the individual rights upon which the United States was built.

“Business owners have the right to decide whether or not to allow smoking on their premises.  No one is forcing employees or patrons to go into a place of business where smoking is allowed if they don’t want to.  Let the market decide, not government legislators.  These are not times to be putting more businesses in jeopardy,” he said.

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Premium Cigar Association Supports D.C. Council Smoking Ban Proposal…Almost

Washington, D.C. January 20, 2010 – The International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association has come out in support of proposed Washington D. C. Council legislation to reduce under-aged smoking and against the same piece of legislation that would impact smokers’ rights outside businesses.

The proposal would assess new penalties on under-aged youth for purchasing or possessing tobacco products. At the same time, the bill allows shop owners to post no-smoking signs in front of their establishments to include 25 feet of their front door or from the sidewalk.

“As owners of premium cigar stores, we have very few people coming into our stores who are underaged and, if they try to make a purchase, they are carded without exception. So the part of the legislation regarding underaged youth and tobacco is not a problem for us, unlike the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids which, ironically, opposes this aspect of the legislation,” said Chris McCalla, Legislative Director of the IPCPR. “It’s the other part of the legislation that bothers us– no smoking outside of buildings – even though it contains no enforcement provisions.” 

McCalla pointed out that the vast majority of premium cigar and pipe smokers are courteous and mindful of people around them when they are smoking. However, he said, legislated smoking bans of any kind are anathema to the group and its individual members.

“Anyone who says there are no safe levels of secondhand smoke, including that which is found outdoors, is totally misinformed. In fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set safe standards for secondhand smoke. Those OSHA standards are 25,000 times higher than air quality levels found in restaurants and bars. So, whatever wisps of smoke may occasionally waft into a building cannot possibly be unsafe, according to OSHA,” McCalla said.

Referencing those people who cite the Surgeon General’s report regarding the alleged adverse health effects of secondhand smoke, McCalla said: “There is absolutely no evidence presented in the report that supports this claim. These misinformed people have been brainwashed by neo-prohibitionists and tobaccophobes into believing otherwise,” he said.

“If store owners don’t want smoking in their places of business, they have the right to declare their property smoke-free. And if these property owners don’t want people to smoke outside of their places of business, they have the right to ask people not to smoke there. We support that. But enacting legislation that gives the government authority over these individual property rights we do not support,” he said.

“Not only is it not justified from a medical standpoint, it is not a justified deprivation of our personal rights from a  . Next thing you know, the government will be running our nation’s auto companies, financial institutions and the entire health industry – or trying to.”

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Proposed Washington State Tobacco Tax Increase Causes Committees to Clash

 Olympia, Washington  January 15, 2010 – Two Washington state legislative committees were at odds with each other at yesterday’s joint hearing regarding HB2493 aimed at increasing taxes on tobacco products.

The joint hearing was comprised of the House Health Care and Wellness Committee headed by Rep. Eileen Cody of Seattle and the House Finance Committee chaired by Rep. Ross Hunter of Medina.  Hunter is seeking ways to offset an anticipated $2.6 billion state budget shortfall while Cody’s stated goal is to “force people to quit smoking.”

“Those objectives are counter-productive when it comes to increasing taxes on tobacco products – neither happens,” said Joe Arundel, owner of Rain City Cigar Store in Seattle, who testified at yesterday’s meeting. 

“In fact, increased tobacco taxes cause many smokers to find ways around the higher taxes by engaging in illegal activities such as buying bootlegged products or by making their tobacco purchases in neighboring states where taxes are lower, or by purchasing tobacco products by mail-order or over the Internet.  The result is the same: no tax revenues for the state of Washington and a loss of jobs and businesses within the state,” Arundel said.

Arundel is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers Association.  The IPCPR is a non-profit organization comprised of some 2,000 primarily small, mom-and-pop businesses that retail, manufacture or distribute premium cigars, pipes, tobacco and related accoutrements.

“People who have never enjoyed premium, hand-made cigars or pipes find it difficult to understand how different they are from cigarettes.  Premium cigars and pipes make ordinary moments special and special moments extraordinary.  They are indulged in relatively infrequently and are enjoyed for their social value as well as for their taste.  That’s the way it’s been for centuries,” said Arundel.

Representing the Cigar Association of Washington was Dale Taylor who reminded the committees that tax reductions and reasonable tax caps on premium cigars and other tobacco products actually generate revenue increases for state treasuries whereas increased taxes cause those revenues to decline precipitously.

Chris McCalla, legislative director of the IPCPR, summarized what he called the principal reasons tobacco taxes should not be raised.

“They are regressive and disproportionately burdensome on lower- and middle-income people. They are an unreliable and unsustainable source of revenue.  They are a discriminatory tax on a minority of the population.  They hurt local businesses and the overall economy, and they encourage cross-border, black market, and Internet purchases,” McCalla said. “And everyone knows that human nature cannot be legislatively controlled,” he added.

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