Ok boys and girls. Time for a little history lesson. Nine years ago I was becoming concerned that some of my basic liberties were being taken away. Smoking bans were cropping up everywhere. Under the guise of "Second Hand Smoke", "It's unhealthy for the people who work there", "I'm a butt hurt libtard who would never go in a bar or sit in the smoking section at a restaurant anyhow and I just don't like smokers because my mommy died from smoking 4 packs of Pall Malls a day, so smoking is bad and therefore should be outlawed."
Now, let me clear up a few things:
1) I don't smoke cigarettes.
2) Most smoking sections don't allow cigars.
3) What you THINK you know about second hand smoke is public opinion, not proven knowledge.
EVERY study on second hand smoke is theory and not proven science. Junk science to be
more accurate.
When the smoking bans started getting hot and popular by busy-body city council officials I joined a group sponsored by Xikar called Defiance. Unfortunately the great fad for smoking bans took off. Led by community organizers and soccer moms looking for publicity and to "Save the Children". (wait... there were kids in bars and smoking sections?)
Shortly it became apparent that things were getting out of control and we needed to concentrate on industry specific targeting and the hatred of big tobacco wasn't helping. Shortly the Cigar Rights of America (CRA) was formed and I joined as a member and then became the 36th CRA Ambassador. We had a true grass roots program and were gaining speed and ground and have had many victories in stopping or overturning smoking bans... then the world went sideways.
President Pookie with his pen and cell phone, gave the regulation of all tobacco products to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Almost overnight CRA went into overdrive to fight what we knew would be coming. For six years we have been beating the street and The Hill trying to educate people that premium cigars are not the same product as cigarettes and snuff and organize cigar smokers and retailers to help fight the power of a Limited-Congressionally over-sighted government entity. We preached from the mountain tops and in the streets of what was coming. that if we didn't organize and let congress know the American public did not want this. That we have the right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Smoking Premium Cigars Make Us Happy.
For years, the #1 response from cigar smokers who didn't want to get involved said, "Nah, they won't do that."
Well it's here. They are trying to do it. So if you ignorant knuckle-draggers don't wake up we are going to lose the industry that we really enjoy. The FDA has released a 499 page final rule. It will destroy what we enjoy.
Join the CRA today and fight it. www.cigarrights.org