| promises to be a year for change. A new Presidential | | | | to the other noticeable trend among smoke-banning |
| administration, a new political direction for the | | | | states--one considerably more encouraging for cigar |
| country, a new Facebook layout, a new guy playing | | | | smokers. |
| Jason in the Friday the 13th movies … | | | | There's other news for cigar fans--some of it doesn't |
| Cigar smokers are bracing for change too. A recent | | | | even involve higher tobacco taxes or smoking bans, |
| bill designed to increase funding for child health | | | | either. While the popularity of smoking bans seems to |
| insurance will also increase federal tobacco taxes by | | | | be increasing nation-wide, so is the trend of writing |
| a big margin: a sixty-two cent increase on cigarette | | | | special exemptions into such bans, allowing some |
| packs, a whole dollar on little cigars, and thirty-five | | | | smoking in designated locations--a compromise that |
| cents on cigarillos. Tobacco taxes on large cigars will | | | | cigar lovers, cigar-lounge owners, and the rest of the |
| be capped at just over forty cents per stogie. Those | | | | world can live with. The Laguna Beach, California, City |
| who hope to hide out from the new increases by | | | | Council has pioneered this fair-minded approach, |
| rolling their own smokes won't be exempt, either: | | | | recently voting to allow smoking of all kinds at |
| roll-your-own tobacco products also face a | | | | tobacco shops and lounges in the otherwise |
| commensurate increase. | | | | smoke-free city. This is the same city council that |
| This is the first major increase in federal excise taxes | | | | pioneered harsh anti-smoking legislation in the early |
| on tobacco in over ten years. A 1997 excise tax was | | | | 1990s, passing one of the country's first bans on |
| phased in via a two-stage process: a ten-cent | | | | smoking in all public places in 1993. (This ballot |
| increase in 2000 and another five-cent increase in | | | | measure enjoyed a heavy endorsement from voters |
| 2002. This new tax will hit all at once. | | | | in the 1994 state elections.) Good news for |
| The SCHIP increase has public-health advocates in a | | | | smokers--especially those who live in Laguna Beach, if |
| good mood, but some cigar smokers are, | | | | there still are any! |
| understandably, less excited, and a few are already | | | | Cigars also made early-2009 headlines thanks to the |
| screaming for President Obama's head. There's at | | | | Michael Phelps case. Summer Olympics hero Michael |
| least one cigar company that disagrees, though. A | | | | Phelps found himself the object of unwanted |
| California-based company (briefly) made a killing during | | | | attention from newspapers--not to mention South |
| the Inauguration fever of January 2009 with a | | | | Carolina police--when a photo was published showing |
| Nicaragua-made cigar named after the hugely-popular | | | | him taking bong hits during a December 2008 party. |
| President. Cigar lovers say this special model will | | | | South Carolina police have since arrested several of |
| probably be more in demand among | | | | Phelps's friends shown in the photo, and have |
| political-memorabilia collectors than cigar smokers | | | | announced their attention to arrest the world's |
| themselves, however. | | | | greatest swimmer as well, should the opportunity |
| Alongside this federal SCHIP-related increase, several | | | | present itself, despite a groundswell of pro-Phelps |
| cash-strapped states (nearly all the states are | | | | public sentiment. In all the controversy, Gurkha Cigars |
| cash-strapped these days) are contemplating their | | | | offered Phelps a fairly large chunk of money to |
| own, independent tobacco tax increases, including | | | | serve as its "smokesperson"--figuring, very |
| Pennsylvania (where the measure enjoys Governor | | | | reasonably, that premium cigars are one form of |
| Ed Rendell's warm advocacy), Arkansas and | | | | smoking that won't get Phelps in trouble with South |
| Kentucky. New smoking restrictions have been | | | | Carolina police. No word yet on whether the world's |
| enacted in Virginia, typically among the strongest | | | | strongest pair of lungs will add Gurkhas to the list of |
| pro-smoking states in the Union. But this ban is | | | | smokeable substances that he's on record as |
| criticized by anti-smoking groups for not going far | | | | enjoying. |
| enough in restricting public smoking, which brings us | | | | |