Senator Marco Rubio Addresses Senate on the Lunacy of FDA Cigar Regulation
On July 26th, 2018, Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) spoke on the Senate floor about Federal Drug Administration (FDA) regulation of premium cigars. Rubio’s speech was part of the 2019 Federal Spending discussion, allowing Senators to address the Senate on topics of interest to them. Rubio vehemently supported cigar manufacturers and retailers in Florida and the United States. He singled out the JC Newman Factory in Ybor City, FL, as an example of FDA regulation gone awry. “This industry is on the verge of extinction,” Rubio stated.
Rubio also stated, “Small manufacturers of premium cigars are harmed by this but the regulations were not intended for them. The regulations were designed to target cigarettes. They were designed for flavored fat cigarettes and other commonly used tobacco products.” OK, I’ve never seen a “flavored fat cigarette” but they sound disgusting! It’s a good thing the FDA is regulating them!
Rubio continued, “It’s going to put them [out of business], and not just JC Newman, it’s going to put other companies, and then the retailer, the specialty cigar stores, that’s what they sell, premium cigars contained in a humidor. It’s going to put them out of business very soon. All because of a stupid regulation that was written as a result of a law that was not properly drafted and interpreted inappropriately. The Federal Government is going to put these guys out of business.”
OK, he’s not the most eloquent speaker in the Senate but he has the points provided to him by our industry and he’s sticking up for our beloved cigars.
Rubio summed it up nicely saying, “We are not going to stand by and watch as JC Newman and small businesses like them are put out of business by a rule that was never supposed to apply to them.” I hope he is right.
Check out the video below:
