Before I begin, I want to note that Nicole and I used to live in Massachusetts. I lived in Massachusetts for thirty years. I, as well as Smokin Tabacco LLC, moved to the State of New Hampshire in December 2023 – and the topic below is one of many reasons why I chose to leave. Therefore, when this issue came up, I decided to write something a little more personal and different than my usual work. I also want to say that I usually keep such opinions to myself, and I know there will be folks who disagree with me. However, the whole point of a blog is to share your ideas and beliefs. I wanted to express my thoughts on an issue that, quite frankly, is becoming exhausting to keep hearing about from a group of people who don’t even understand what the premium cigar industry is. An industry that I know very well and has given me so much.
Some of you already know about this, while others may not. Cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are considering a new Nicotine Free Generation (NFG) policy or implementing a “generational smoking ban.” At the same time, some have gone as far as to ban the sale of perfectly legal products. This is a modern-day approach to prohibition. These proposed laws have been introduced or exercised before. The United Kingdom and several other countries are trying to pass this right now, and New Zealand already has it in place nationwide. Other nations, such as Canada, have implemented extremely high tobacco taxes to try and discourage users from purchasing tobacco products, including premium cigars. They have also instituted “plain packaging” or “graphic packaging” laws…sometimes both.
Such policies fail to recognize that not all tobacco products should be treated in the same manner. Premium cigars do not carry the same public health issues associated with other products, and objective studies (such as the NASEM report) have substantiated this, especially in the areas of inhalation, addiction, mortality, and youth access. They are products for a discerning adult clientele.
I often sit here and ponder the interesting double standard of many people today in 2024. You know who they are, the people who want their voices heard and to get their way by any means necessary. By all means, everyone deserves the right to express their feelings and beliefs. But what is interesting is how some people choose to go about it.
For example, many people love to promote the “my body, my choice” movement regarding women’s rights to abortion. My universal belief for many but not all things is usually, “I don’t care what you do as long as you don’t care what I do.” I think that’s a pretty fair trade-off. However, there are also many people out there who share those or similar beliefs who are also very against other personal choices, such as the use of tobacco products, and are “anti-tobacco” advocates. This blog isn’t meant to target those people specifically, as many people out there are anti-tobacco; it is merely an example of one group of people who, in my experience, fit this profile for the sake of argument.
What is interesting is when, for some people, “my body, my choice” is the battle cry for the rights and beliefs of being able to do what they want with their body. Yet, here we are – a humble community of cigar smokers who, for the most part, don’t bother anybody. Yet many of those people also complain about cigar smoke and vilify people who choose to use said products even when it doesn’t affect them directly or at all. Add in that states like Massachusetts feel the need to exercise their muscles and “try to do the right thing” by implementing these ridiculous ideas that target premium cigar smokers and you have what we have been watching for the last decade and a half – a slow death to the tobacco industry.
So, for the sake of the argument, if I want to smoke cigars, then by all means, that is “my body, my choice.” Maybe that isn’t exactly the same thing, but if you don’t want me to tell you what to do with your body, do not tell me what to do with mine. In addition, I do not think it is right to disallow future generations from making an adult choice to enjoy their life by whatever means they wish. That isn’t the American way.
The only way to combat these motions is to speak up and make sure your voice is heard. Do not let these states and communities ruin the premium cigar community with their ridiculous and hypocritical ideas. Visit Cigar Action here to sign the petition. Once you give these movements a crumb, they will come for the whole pie next. Long live premium hand-made cigars.
