Sen. Pat Toomey (PA) pushes to exclude large and premium cigars from FDA regulation

[Bill Godshall]

Sen. Pat Toomey pushes to exclude large and premium cigars from FDA regulation
Toomey pushes to exclude large and premium cigars from FDA regulation - mcall.com

Excerpt

The proposed Senate bill classifies a product as large or premium if it weighs at least six pounds per 1,000 cigars. Vince Willmore, a spokesman for the Campaign For tobacco-Free Kids, worries the bill's language leaves a loophole for flavored cigars.

Regarding the FDA regulations, Willmore thinks Toomey and the cigar industry are prematurely crying foul.

"There's no real evidence the FDA is going to do these things that they're saying, because the FDA hasn't taken any action yet," Willmore said. "They're spinning a worst-case scenario."

But Bill Godshall, who has fought for regulations on smoking and tobacco companies for 25 years, said he agrees with Toomey. Most cigar users face minimal health risks because they do not smoke multiple cigars daily and do not inhale, said Godshall, founder and executive director of Smokefree Pennsylvania.

Godshall said groups that want to regulate cigars are going to the extreme.

"What is this regulation going to do?" he asked. "Is it going to improve the product? Is it going to make it healthier? No."

I also told the reporter about FDA's failed attempt to ban e-cigarettes, and its ongoing intent to also regulate e-cigarettes and all other unregulated tobacco products, but those comments didn't make it into the story.

 

[Drew_]

Why are "large and premium" cigars the only ones that are exempt?

 

[Bill Godshall]

Drew inquired:

Why are "large and premium" cigars the only ones that are exempt?

Because that was/is what the legislation would exempt. This legislation was drafted and is being lobbied for by large and premium cigar companies. They didn't include little cigars or cigarillos (i.e. medium sized cigars) or any other currenty unregulated tobacco products (e.g. e-cigarettes) in the bill because they don't make those products, and probably because they correctly realized that it would be easier to generate more votes in Congress if the bill only applied to large and premium cigars.

Small and medium cigars are more likely than large and premium cigars to be less expensive, to be used by teens, to contain flavorings, to be inhaled, and to be smoked multiple times daily.

 

[martinc]

He probably have a box of them on his desk(s) along with a bottle or 10 of something that go with it.

Dont they all?

 

[Bill Godshall]

Please note that Cigars International is the world's largest cigar retailer (and largest internet retailer of cigars), and is located in the Lehigh Valley (i.e. Allentown/Bethlehem, PA), where Toomey is from. I suspect Cigars International has also given Toomey lots of campaign contributions.

Back in 2007, Cigars International sold $27 million worth of cigars, and its grown since then.

The company was also influential in defeating proposed legislation that would tax cigars in PA (as PA and FL are the only states that don't tax cigars), which is a key reason why Cigars International has thrived (as it primarily sells its untaxed cigars to folks who live in states that tax cigars).

 

[Drew_]

Small and medium cigars are more likely than large and premium cigars to be less expensive, to be used by teens, to contain flavorings, to be inhaled, and to be smoked multiple times daily.

I think the reality is that "large and premium" cigars are more likely to be consumed by 1). Sen. Toomey's colleges in congress and 2). (R) Sen Toomey's "target audience" i.e. millionaires.

I suspect Cigars International has also given Toomey lots of campaign contributions

Bingo.

 

[Berylanna]

I think the reality is that "large and premium" cigars are more likely to be consumed by 1). Sen. Toomey's colleges in congress and 2). (R) Sen Toomey's "target audience" i.e. millionaires.


Bingo.

Who cares? "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

 

[Luisa]

I think the reality is that "large and premium" cigars are more likely to be consumed by 1). Sen. Toomey's colleges in congress and 2). (R) Sen Toomey's "target audience" i.e. millionaires.


Bingo.

He well might end up being one of our friends---and a good one.

 

[Berylanna]

He well might end up being one of our friends---and a good one.

Maybe we should very visibly back his bill WITHOUT ASKING FOR ANYTHING.

It would set a precedent that lack of harm means none of the FDA's business.

EDIT: I'd like to see CASAA's take on what to do here. We don't want to look like we're "in with cigars", they still give off second-hand smoke. But I'm happy seeing *someone* rein in the FDA. They need to take their power swings at bad drug studies. I had a friend's life cut short by about a decade from that antibiotic that destroys livers.

This could be a tricky one to navigate without harming ourselves.