Federal regulation threatens Florida’s historic premium cigar industry

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Watchdog.org:

The Obama administrations’s regulatory assault on Florida’s premium cigar industry appears tailor made for an election season rife with populist indignation.

 

CIGAR CITY: The future of a 121-year-old family business is uncertain as federal regulations target Florida’s premium cigar industry.

 

Newly approved federal regulations are on track to decimate Florida’s historic and culturally distinct manufacturing industry, while paving the way for legalized Cuban cigars to obtain a competitive advantage.

 

Affected business owners and manufacturing workers at places like J.C. Newman’s Cigar Co. in Tampa would rather avoid politics altogether, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has premium cigars firmly in its crosshairs, citing concerns about youth access to tobacco and improving public health.

So the industry is seeking help wherever it can find it. On Wednesday, it got a show of support from a powerful friend.