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| FDA Went Too Far…The Message
from The Mainstream Media is Clear
FDA HAS GONE TOO FAR! Since the announcement of a final rule regulating premium cigars and other tobacco products in early May, industry associations, manufacturing companies, consumers, and free market thinkers alike have all decried FDA’s actions as an dramatic overreach by the agency.
Now, the “Mainstream Media” is hearing our message and are sounding the alarms on what FDA’s unwarranted overreach will do if it is allowed to remain the law of the land.
To read some recent articles on FDA’s actions, please see below. |
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| The Latest In The Never-Ending Assaults On Our Freedoms. One Of These Is Lethal
TYRANNY IS about control. Even in democracies the natural tendency of government, unless stopped, is to expand its powers and extend its tentacles into every facet of its citizens’ lives-always in the name of helping them. Control means curtailing people’s opportunities to make choices and restricting the scope of their freedom of action. Left to their own devices bureaucracies would bar you from doing anything without first receiving a permission slip from them. Our Founders understood that it’s the steady accumulation of petty, tyrannical restrictions that leads to the ultimate loss of freedom.
To continue reading, please click here. |
Give That Man a Cigar, but Quick Before the Regulations Kick In
Making a luxury cigar takes time. The period from planting to puffing can span at least four years and about 400 people.
Seeds must be selected, plants grown, tobacco cured and leaves twisted by hand with an eye toward producing hourlong smokes, rich in flavors of pepper, cedar or dark chocolate.
Or that’s how it used to be.
To continue reading, please click here. |
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| Small business owner: FDA rules threaten Florida Heritage of hand-rolled cigars
An integral part of Florida’s cultural heritage – hand-rolled cigars – is in danger of being snuffed out by an overzealous federal Food and Drug Administration. That’s distressing: The cigar-making tradition is vital, an important part in Florida’s economy, much as the state’s crystal-clear waters and world-class amusement parks lure visitors from around the globe to experience all that the Sunshine State has to offer.
To continue reading, please click here. |
Could Miami cigar industry go up in smoke
At a snug shop in Little Havana, a dozen workers lean over plantation-style desks, bundling crisp tobacco leaves into cigars prized by connoisseurs. A distinctive, spicy scent pervades the factory and shop of El Titan de Bronze, where the cigar-rolling tradition continues much as it has since King Philip V claimed Cuba’s tobacco trade as a royal monopoly.
To continue reading, please click here. |
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| New rules could leave cigar industry in ashes
A tour through the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. in Ybor City is a wonderful step back through time. It doesn’t matter if you’re a smoker, or you never touch the stuff. This is about history and heritage.
That wonderful old building was built in 1910 and is known as El Reloj for the oversized landmark clock that sits on its top. The distinctive aroma inside, mixed with the clatter of wrapping machines, speaks to an era when about 150 cigar manufacturers called Tampa home. Even with those days long gone, Tampa is still known as the Cigar City.
To continue reading, please click here. |
Ybor City cigar company ratchets up new blends ahead of tighter rules
It typically takes the J.C. Newman Cigar Co. 18 to 24 months to prepare a new premium cigar for the marketplace.
But over the past two months, the Ybor City company that runs Tampa’s last cigar factory has produced 20 new premium blends, all targeted to hit the market before Aug. 8.
To continue reading, please click here. |
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| Grassroots Mobilization During
the August Congressional Recess
Between now and Labor Day, Members of Congress will be out of Washington and back home in their districts. During this crucial period, it is critical that you be apart of the process, and work to defend the premium cigar industry and small businesses like yours across America.
The message during this recess is to protect and advance the language in these two links (Agriculture Appropriations and Predicate Date) calling for a premium cigar exemption and a change in the predicate date for new cigar products.
Over the next couple of weeks, CRA encourages you to take this opportunity to engage your representatives and let your voice be heard in opposition to FDA regulations in the following ways:
- Visit the district office of your member of the House of Representatives and Senate, and use the speaking points below to discuss FDA regulation and how it will affect your business
Talking Points – Please Click Here
- Invite Your Members of the House and Senate to visit your retail location for a Cigar Town Hall meeting.
Find out who your Member of Congress is – Please
Click Here for the House of Representatives and Please Click
Here for the United States Senate.
- Invite local television, radio, and print media into your shop to share your story and for them to hear how the federal government is threatening your business.
Talking Points – Please Click Here
- Print the speaking points below and share with all of your customers encouraging them to contact their Members of the House and Senate in opposition to FDA regulations.
Talking Points – Please Click Here
- Print the alert notices below and display them near your point of sale systems and share with all of your customers encouraging them to sign the petition against FDA regulation.
Alert Notices – Please Click Here
- Send an email notice to your customer with the link below encouraging them to visit the CRA website and sign the petition against FDA regulation.
CRA Petition – Please Click Here
- Contact Members of the House of Representatives on the target list below and respectfully ask that they co-sponsor H.R. 662 and support the premium cigar industry. If your Member is already a co-sponsor, we encourage you to contact them and thank them for their support.
Target List – Please Click Here
H.R. 662 Co-sponsors – Please Click Here
- Contact Members of the United States Senate who are not co-sponsor of S. 441 and respectfully ask that they support the premium cigar industry. If your Members is already a co-sponsor, we encourage you to contact them and thank them for their support.
S.441 Co-sponsors – Please Click Here
Directory of United States Senators – Please Click Here |
| CRA and Tobacconist University
Partnership for Consumers
Cigar Rights of America and Tobacconist University (“TU”) are proud partners in the premium cigar industry.
The new and improved Certified Consumer Tobacconist program. This interactive educational program allows consumers to establish and strengthen their passion for premium cigars, and CRA is proud to support this program.
With the launch of the new CCT program, consumers will now be able to test their knowledge at their convenience with the new online format. Additionally, upon certification consumers will also receive the added benefit of a free membership to CRA.
Enhance your knowledge of premium cigars today.
For more information on the new Certified Consumer Tobacconist program, please click here. |
| Upcoming Events
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Date: September 9-10, 2016
Time: All Day
Location: Spokane, Washington
Website: Please Click Here |
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Date: September 30, 2016
Time: 6:30 PM – 10:00 PM EST
Location: Washington, DC
Website: Please Click Here |
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Date: November 11-13, 2016
Time: All Day
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Website: Please Click Here |
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| Saturday Cigar Media Line-up
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Kiss My Ash
Saturday, August 27, 2016
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Website: Click Here |
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Smooth Draws
Saturday, August 27, 2016
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Website: Click Here |
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Cigar Dave
Saturday, August 27, 2016
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Website: Click Here |
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Cigar Authority
Saturday, August 27, 2016
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Website: Click Here |
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| Join Cigar Rights of America
Join or renew today, for two years at a
special price, and receive a complimentary subscription to Cigar Aficionado.
To join or renew now, please click here.
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As CRA membership grows across the nation, our impact at all levels follows suit. Join the fight today by becoming a member of CRA or
renewing your membership.
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Donate today, and be a part of history…the history of protecting premium cigars for generations to come. |
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