Tampa's Cigar Makers Try to Fend Off Federal Regulation of Tobacco Products

Source from:  ABC 10/19/2011

TAMPA - Cigarettes have come under heavy taxation and regulation in recent years, but people in Tampa's homegrown cigar industry worry they will be regulated out of existence. From the beginning, Tampa has been known as Cigar City. Most of the factories are gone, but J.C. Newman Cigar Company in Ybor City is still rolling up to 55,000 sticks a day. "In addition to being a Tampa industry, it's really a Florida home industry," says J.C. Newman President Eric Newman. Like all cigar makers and sellers, Newman is still reeling from recent tax increases up to 700% on tobacco products. Now he worries the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 will add another layer of regulation and expense to his industry. "It could ban mail order. It could even ban self service display of cigars," said Newman. Actually, the Food and Drug Administration hasn't yet decided how or even if they will regulate cigars under the law. But already, Congresswoman Kathy Castor and Senator Bill Nelson have sponsored bills that would exempt cigars from FDA oversight. Some groups including the American Cancer Society and the American Medical Association are in turn pressuring the cigar industry to back off. "What we don't want is every special interest going to congress and making the political case of why they should be exempt from health and safety rules," argues Matt Myer, President of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. "We don't make exceptions for certain foods or certain drugs when it comes to public health and safety," said Myers from his office in Washington D.C. Newman claims that cigars do not carry the same health risk as cigarettes and are not appealing to teenagers but his strongest argument in this economy may be jobs. His factory in Ybor City employs 125 workers. "We have people working for us for 30 or 40 years. If this bill goes through, it could put their jobs in jeopardy," said Newman. The proposed law in support of the cigar industry is called the Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2011. Enditem