PCA Magazine Show Issue 2021

National Wholesale Distributor f ine cigars. tobacco. CBD. vape. for over 40 years. low opening order low minimums Visit us at PCA booth# 1209 Gov’t Briefing cont. “We don’t want to make it comfortable for them to smoke.” Amazing. In January of 2021, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledged that premium cigars represent their lowest enforcement priority based on their lack of youth appeal. By crafting policy to allow face-to-face sales and consumption of alcohol and cigars together on premises, small business owners will be able to further age verification efforts. The pairing of cocktails and cigars is a natural synergy and affords some business owners the opportunity to tap into a new revenue stream. The two common sense bills mentioned in Montana (HB 285 tabled) and North Dakota (HB 1152 defeated) were introduced this session but were thwarted because of efforts by public health groups. In North Dakota, the American Heart Association testified in opposition, saying “HB 1152, which would allow smoking in bars that sell cigars and so-called cigar lounges would weaken existing protections and pollute the indoor air in North Dakota.” Tobacco- Free North Dakota also opposed and stated, “By eroding our indoor smoke- free air law, by making exceptions to allow even one type of product to be smoked or aerosolized indoors, we do a serious disservice to our citizens and to our state.” Several private citizens testified in favor of the legislation. The Premium Cigar Association supported both bills and efforts in other states to permit the sale of legal products to legal adults and will continue to do so despite public health groups mischaracterizing the effects of this legislation. The youth access argument is a trojan horse used by public health groups against all tobacco products that neglects the evidence that runs contrary to their narrative regarding certain tobacco categories like premium cigars. By fighting the very existence of retail lounges and cigar bars, public health groups abandon the facade of the youth access argument and move the goal post to a slippery slope argument of suggesting that allowing one product will lead to others. These groups have an incentive to cherry pick data and conflate tobacco products into one category as opposed to isolating product types to create more sound policy outcomes. States such as Oregon have statutory steps to be a cigar bar that include