Following is an email I received a cc of:
From: "Chris McCalla--IPCPR Legislative Director" <legislative@ipcpr.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 4:09pm
To: "Mike Johnson" <info@holysmokescigars.com>
Subject: Mike! Stop the 21st Prohibition of Premium Tobacco Products! Take Action Now!
Hello Mike:
Imagine a premium tobacco shop where:
The word "tobacco" could be deemed illegal and not allowed in
retail tobacco shops' names!
Customers may not be allowed in humidors or to physically handle
tobacco products!
Shop windows may have to be blacked-out!
Premium cigars may be required to be selected and sold from catalogs
with only black and white photos!
Premium tobacco products may have graphic images of diseases on them!
These are ALL things that HAVE happened in parts of Europe and even
closer to home-- in Canada. The very way you sell your tobacco products
is in jeopardy.
Because of this threat, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
needs to hear from you! The agency is currently asking for the public's
opinion and comments to help the agency develop its regulations to
police and oversee the U.S. tobacco industry. While cigars and pipe
tobacco are not currently included in the Family Smoking Prevention and
Tobacco Control Act, they may ultimately be brought under FDA
regulation.
We call on you, Mike, to tell the FDA
such intervention and control is oppressive, anti-small business, and
just anti-American!
Submit your comment today! It's easy and only takes a few minutes to
participate and protect your passion for cigars and pipe tobacco-- to
Protect Your Liberty! Share with your friends and family!
To submit your personal comment to the FDA, please select and copy (or
cut and paste) the following URL from this note to your Internet
browser address bar: (see below for suggested talking points and
instructions):
http://capwiz.com/rtda/utr/1/NYRCLQSUUY/ILDGLRIZIQ/4310427036
The public comment period closes Monday December 28, 2009 at 4pm EDT.
Thank you for your support.
Chris McCalla
IPCPR Legislative Director
Instructions: please use the following suggestions as a guide for your
own personal comment to FDA. Please keep your note polite and concise;
no profanity or derogatory comments!
Suggested Talking Points:
Congress recognized the fact that cigars and pipe tobacco do not pose
the same public health concerns as the tobacco products outlined for
regulation. FDA needs to recognize this important distinction as it
implements the Tobacco Act.
Flavored cigarillos are manufactured and marketed to only adults as
they are premium cigar tobacco and should remain as a legal adult
choice product.
Kids don't smoke tobacco pipes; pipe smoking is an adult activity;
there has not been a single study that has indicated any issue with
kids smoking tobacco pipes.
:sign:
Very easy to enter comments at the above noted link.
I put CRA for "Organization Name" unless someone has a better idea.
These are the comments I submitted:
I am writing to oppose any further changes in the regulations concerning the selling and purchasing of cigars and pipe tobacco.
Unlike cigarettes, these have never been marketed to kids and very few kids end up smoking pipes or cigars.
Cigar shops are by default adult centric places. Furthermore, given the careful attention paid to customers in most such stores they are by design carefully monitored. I have never seen any young people in the humidor of any store I've shopped in anywhere.
Additional government involvement is unnecessary.
Thank you
From: "Chris McCalla--IPCPR Legislative Director" <legislative@ipcpr.org>
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2009 4:09pm
To: "Mike Johnson" <info@holysmokescigars.com>
Subject: Mike! Stop the 21st Prohibition of Premium Tobacco Products! Take Action Now!
Hello Mike:
Imagine a premium tobacco shop where:
The word "tobacco" could be deemed illegal and not allowed in
retail tobacco shops' names!
Customers may not be allowed in humidors or to physically handle
tobacco products!
Shop windows may have to be blacked-out!
Premium cigars may be required to be selected and sold from catalogs
with only black and white photos!
Premium tobacco products may have graphic images of diseases on them!
These are ALL things that HAVE happened in parts of Europe and even
closer to home-- in Canada. The very way you sell your tobacco products
is in jeopardy.
Because of this threat, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
needs to hear from you! The agency is currently asking for the public's
opinion and comments to help the agency develop its regulations to
police and oversee the U.S. tobacco industry. While cigars and pipe
tobacco are not currently included in the Family Smoking Prevention and
Tobacco Control Act, they may ultimately be brought under FDA
regulation.
We call on you, Mike, to tell the FDA
such intervention and control is oppressive, anti-small business, and
just anti-American!
Submit your comment today! It's easy and only takes a few minutes to
participate and protect your passion for cigars and pipe tobacco-- to
Protect Your Liberty! Share with your friends and family!
To submit your personal comment to the FDA, please select and copy (or
cut and paste) the following URL from this note to your Internet
browser address bar: (see below for suggested talking points and
instructions):
http://capwiz.com/rtda/utr/1/NYRCLQSUUY/ILDGLRIZIQ/4310427036
The public comment period closes Monday December 28, 2009 at 4pm EDT.
Thank you for your support.
Chris McCalla
IPCPR Legislative Director
Instructions: please use the following suggestions as a guide for your
own personal comment to FDA. Please keep your note polite and concise;
no profanity or derogatory comments!
Suggested Talking Points:
Congress recognized the fact that cigars and pipe tobacco do not pose
the same public health concerns as the tobacco products outlined for
regulation. FDA needs to recognize this important distinction as it
implements the Tobacco Act.
Flavored cigarillos are manufactured and marketed to only adults as
they are premium cigar tobacco and should remain as a legal adult
choice product.
Kids don't smoke tobacco pipes; pipe smoking is an adult activity;
there has not been a single study that has indicated any issue with
kids smoking tobacco pipes.
:sign:
Very easy to enter comments at the above noted link.
I put CRA for "Organization Name" unless someone has a better idea.
These are the comments I submitted:
I am writing to oppose any further changes in the regulations concerning the selling and purchasing of cigars and pipe tobacco.
Unlike cigarettes, these have never been marketed to kids and very few kids end up smoking pipes or cigars.
Cigar shops are by default adult centric places. Furthermore, given the careful attention paid to customers in most such stores they are by design carefully monitored. I have never seen any young people in the humidor of any store I've shopped in anywhere.
Additional government involvement is unnecessary.
Thank you
