The Cigar Rights of America (CRA) has reported that a Connecticut State bill, HB 7275, currently scheduled for consideration before the Judiciary Committee would have dramatic impact on the industry.
Here is the CRA report:
Last month, House Bill 7275 was introduced in the Connecticut House of Representatives to update tobacco definitions for taxation and to regulate the shipment of tobacco products, with a focus on electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), within the state. While the bill aims to address legitimate concerns surrounding ENDS products, it follows a familiar pattern: well-intentioned efforts that ultimately risk negatively impacting premium cigars.
As originally drafted, HB 7275 would have prohibited the shipment of all tobacco products to residents of Connecticut—including premium cigars.
Following feedback, the bill was amended to include an exemption for premium cigars. However, the exemption is so narrowly crafted that it remains largely unworkable in practice, defining a premium cigar as one that meets all of the following criteria:
- Not mechanically mass-produced
- Have a wrapper made entirely of whole tobacco leaf
- Contain no filter, tip, or non-tobacco mouthpiece
- Be capped by hand
- A minimum wholesale price of $30 per cigar
Cigar Rights of America (CRA) has long supported the eight-part definition of a premium cigar adopted by the U.S. District Court in Cigar Association of America v. FDA, parts of which are mirrored in the first four parts of the definition of HB 7275. However, we strongly object to the inclusion of a $30 wholesale price threshold. This pricing requirement is entirely unrealistic, as very few if any premium cigars on the market meet that threshold. As a result, the exemption operates as a de facto ban on the shipment of premium cigars to consumers in Connecticut.
HB 7275 is now scheduled for consideration before the Judiciary Committee. Should it ultimately become law, it would effectively eliminate direct-to-consumer shipping of premium cigars in Connecticut and set a troubling precedent for how premium cigars are defined in future regulatory efforts. States often look to one another when shaping tobacco policy, and Connecticut’s adoption of such a narrow definition could influence similar proposals across the country. This approach risks opening the door to even more restrictive measures nationwide, including misguided flavor bans and burdensome product registration requirements like those recently enacted in California.
CRA will continue to monitor HB 7275 closely and provide timely updates as the legislative process unfolds.
