First off, I KNOW this is political but it DOES concern tobacco and people on our website. Let me know if I need to delete anything because I’d like for the discussion to stay so I’ll clean up/delete anything you guys want me to in order to keep it up.
I have never been SO SERIOUS in considering moving out of COUNTRY! I mean I am literally DISGUSTED AND SICKENED
BIG TOBACCO COMPANIES TRYING TO PROTECT THEIR INTERESTS, they snuck a law into a bill the other day and RYO businesses, the machines, and I THINK the loose tobacco but I’m not sure, are ILLEGAL IN THE US NOW.
I’m gonna guess this comment is WAY too political… I’ll leave it alone until the other mod take a look… unless of course you want to delete it yourself, transistor…
I’m gonna guess this comment is WAY too political… I’ll leave it alone until the other mod take a look… unless of course you want to delete it yourself, transistor…
*sigh* you’re probably right. I’ve noticed more and more of my comments are getting deleted these days…
guess I’ll start being more careful.
its only the ryo machines in tobacco stores that will be banned … you will still be able to buy loose tobacco and make your own … no doubt the ryo pipe tobacco will be taxed the same as regular ryo tobacco soon
I no longer smoke, but my wife does. This is just one of many moves on RYO tobacco, started years ago with the first $24 dollar tax increase on RYO tobacco. Soon to be followed by a $24 dollar increase on pipe tobacco. welcome to the “I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore” club. The party actually started years ago so the appetizers are all gone by now.
I cannot justify a international move just now, but I do share your anger! So I order large amounts of whole leaf tobacco straight from the growers barns at around $10 a pound. This gives me a carton for about $5, and a feeling of at least not having to “submit” to the corporate manipulations.
BTW I am an American who is now prohibited to buy any form of processed tobacco, snus, snuff, ect., over the internet or thru the mail!
BTW this Government interference has a long history, started really with the 1791 “Whiskey Rebellion”.
Land of the free was pretty much an illusion. “Ignore the man behind the curtain” - Wizard of OZ
It was inevitable, today(7-9-2012) in Illinois cigarettes run 6 to 7 dollars a pack at convenient stores after the recent tax increase. The only way to stop the wave of people switching over to machine rolled from packaged smokes was to raise the cost of loose pre-cut tobacco. Last week I ordered 3 pounds of cured and fermented whole leaf tobacco and cut it up myself. A 6 oz can of bugler costs 37 dollars after taxes at my local Walmart. 3 lbs of whole leaf ran me 73 dollars after shipping. 2400 rollit papers ran almost 20 bucks from another website online. To really avoid taxes on RYO, now you need to do it the old pioneer way. A tad more work, but a bit satisfying once you’ve learned to work a whole leaf. Just be sure you are buying cured AND fermented. If it hasn’t been fermented, the ammonia is going to make the tobacco unsmokable. Fermenting is accomplished by dampening the leaf and keeping it real warm in a pile and allowing the ammonia to dissipate. My 100 dollar investment in tobacco and papers is going to last a long long time. At 5 dollars a .6 oz pack of bugler, I recoup my investment in only 3 weeks.
@jimmyb - Welcome to the whole leaf club! My take on curing differs a bit from yours, fermentation can be accomplished by stacking, but wetting is not recommended, natural fermentation takes place in the leaf during the hanging (curing) phase. Most important thing about good tobacco really is the curing. I have found that out by trial and error.
@Whalen - I’ve had my share of inexpensive cigars that reeked of ammonia, definitely not cured long enough to remove the nasty stuff. Why are you prohibited from buying tobacco products through the mail? I live in the US and order my cigars and the occasional chew and recently nasal snuff via the internet and get them thru all 3 major mail carriers, USPS, UPS and also Fedex.
Another tax on tobacco, nothing new there. I dont like it one bit but i think that if they can keep taxing it they will keep it legal. Still gives me incentive to snatch up what i can before they tax it more. I barely smoke at all but I’m finding myself shopping for pipe and twist tobacco with the rationale that even if I don’t use it or need it now, I might later or someone else will with whatever’s coming down the pike. I’m starting to really understand the TAD mentality.
My understanding of this bill is that it does not make anything illegal, but just makes the store machine made cigarettes taxed at the same level as pre-manufactured ones. I’m not totally sure as I only heard a brief blurb about it.
@Whalen Is it even possible to enforce that? I can’t see MD State Police devoting resources inspecting all mail (besides that would be unconstitional search and siezure w/o a warrant).
It is intended to force me to buy locally, so that the State taxation is assured, even though there are no vendors at all for snus. What it does is make me instantly hostile to State government, and forces me to circumvent these policies. I have begun buying all my gas, food, and goods out of state to “protest”. So far they have lost ten times what they tried to capture in state taxes. And the state licensed tobacconists, who lobbied for the bill, will never see a penny of my business.
A small hollow victory for me, but it at least makes me feel good to give them the slip.
@Xander - you are correct, it brings tax parity to RYO machine made cartons. Pipe tobacco for RYO is still taxed lower. That loop hole will be closed next, as the bill to accomplish this has been introduced into legislative consideration.
As of July 1 2012, Maryland doubled smokeless tax to 30% from 15%. I live less than 5 miles from West Virginia with a modest 7% tax.
Whole leaf tobacco remains untaxed and unregulated as for now. I seem to be acquiring quite a bit. Just wonderful examples of what tobacco leaf varieties are available, the Virginia Bright leaf is golden yellow and smells just like butterscotch. Three kinds of oriental. scary perfect fire cured, and strong aged Burley. Just beautiful leaf, I just recieved ten pounds of aged dark air cured for snuff and snus making.
@Whalen Is it even possible to enforce that? I can’t see MD State Police devoting resources inspecting all mail (besides that would be unconstitional search and siezure w/o a warrant).
Well that is a great question! And they have stretched resources as it is, the constitutional aspect should be interesting when challenged.
What it has done in reality is put all 50 states vendors on notice that it is prohibited by law. They just will not ship anything here now. So it works out great for the state, all they have to do is notify, and it is a done deal. International shipments are just beyond their ability to deal with, and “Theoretically” still possible! But who wants to take the chance, right?
If you were to order internationally and the package was marked stating it’s contents for customs purposes, law enforcement reading the label stating that it was an illegal product could possibly state that the illegal item was in “plain sight” and justify a seizure without a warrant… Not sure of the particulars of this and don’t claim to know anything of how mail is inspected, just a thought…
