Big Problems for Pipe Tobacco: Tumbling Down The Loophole

[admin]

The pipe tobacco industry and pipe smokers themselves are innocent victims, caught in the cross-fire of a multi-player civil war inside the tobacco industry itself, along with the traditional outside enemies firing shots as well. Big Tobacco has allied itself with Big Government in an effort to kill off its' competition - that of roll-your-own retail outlets. At stake; are sales dollars, tax dollars, and an entire niche industry ... with the potential unintended casualty being the entire pipe tobacco business ...
Read about it in, "Tumbling Down The Loophole"

 

[waznyf]

Another great article! I've been wanting to get more educated on what's going on with tobacco politically and most of these articles help to give me an idea of what's going on.

Much thanks to C.R.S. Lyles for opening the eyes of some who aren't quite sure where the problem is coming from.

 

[locopony]

Who do we need to make sure never gets re-elected? The only way to stand up to politicians is to not re-elect them.

 

[rcstan]

Great article!

 

[kennerth]

As the article states. one facet of this problem is that many of the shops where I buy cigars and pipe tobacco are selling RYO tobacco under the guise of "pipe tobacco". One showed me a wall and said, "This is pipe tobacco, but it is for rolling cigarettes." That wall was no more pipe tobacco than the glass pipes in a head shop are "For Tobacco Use Only". I guess they don't realize that their own behavior is part of what may eventually shut down their business. It would seem that one thing we could do would be to urge our local tobacco merchants to call things what they are and sell cigarette tobacco as such. Referring them to this article couldn't hurt either.
Our own people may be the ones who have pushed this into the spotlight

 

[spartan]

Thank you for another great Article. I’d like to know the “… specific, scientific definition that made a clear, concise differentiation between real pipe tobacco and fake pipe tobacco that is really RYO.”

 

[captainbob]

In Wisconsin, we have a 71% excise tax on pipe tobacco sold within Wisconsin. A fourteen ounce bag of Uhle's tobacco from Milwaukee will cost me $79 plus shipping and handling! $79 for 14 ounces of tobacco is not in my plans. Unfortunately, I will no longer be ordering from Uhle's in Milwaukee. Too bad for them and too bad for me as they have the best Latakia blends in the world as far as I am concerned. Bishop's move is so good that Craig Tarler of C&D won't even consider trying to duplicate it. The problem is that C&D has so many excellent Latakia blends that I would have to smoke about 200 of their blends to find a substitute for Bishop's Move Blend!

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[rigmedic1]

I noticed the proliferation here in New Orleans of glass pipe shops selling RYO tobacco, along side a myriad of stands rolling cigars as you wait. Not sure what the implications will be, but it is a shame legitimate pipe smokers must suffer from people who game the system. But here too, I notice an uptick in cigar and legitimate pipe tobacco retailers as well. I know of 8 B&M retailers within an hour of my home, and 2 are less than 20 minutes away. Two of them opened in the last 3 years. Hang in there folks, I think we can tough it out.

 

[romanza10]

I'm still of the mind set that this has absolutely nothing to do with smoking. It's all about the mighty dollar. If in a parallel dimension, people consumed ice cream like we do tobacco, ice cream would be on the chopping block. And they would be putting taxes on milk, cream and ice. And to make things even more irritating, if they would just stop spending money, they wouldn't need to take it from us. :evil:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35TbGjt-weA

 

[taerin]

The easy solution is to tax pipe tobacco the same as cigarettes and then there will be no reason for "roll your own" tobacco to be reclassified by these companies and most likely that is what government will try to do as it makes competition fair for the cigarette industry, they will probabley assist with this process instead of fight it.
We as pipe smokers need to make our voices loud enough to keep that from happening, but at only 2% of all the tobacco users, I fear that may not be enough. We could be trampled over so easily and no one would notice. I try to help out by giving friends a free pipe and free tobacco if they try it and like it, so far I have done this twice and created two new voices to be heard.

 

[deadwoodpete]

Great article, Kevin.
These are the kinds of things we need to know about.
I think an easier solution would be to call a spade a spade, and simply make the manufacturers stop labeling cigarette tobacco as pipe tobacco. It isn't, and never will be. Put the punishment where it belongs, on the perpetrator, not the bystander.
@ Herbinedave. What are some of these organizations? Since I live very close to those states, I'd like to get involved and help out in some way if I can. If we don't stand up for ourselves, no one else is going to.
PM me if necessary.

 

[cortezattic]

I don't think anyone has developed a clear definition that distinguishes RYO tobacco from pipe tobacco,

and the line gets especially blurry when one considers shag cuts and thin Cavendish cuts. This is an

ambiguity that RYO producers have availed themselves of to further their subterfuge -- to our detriment.

The debate is over a year old, and PipesMagazine.com has been in the forefront to meet this challenge to

the survival of our hobby.
An idea that I suggested many months ago was to ignore the differences and tax RYO paraphernalia instead.

Paying $1.00 per sheet for rolling paper would obviate the need for either taxing or mislabeling RYO tobacco.

 

[pitchfork]

I agree about Bishop's Move. Best English blend I've ever had. So good, I might be willing to pay the tax for it. Once a year, maybe.
Anyhow, I'm just curious, does anyone know what the names of any of the RYO tobaccos now being labeled as pipe tobacco?

 

[brian64]

IMHO (or for those who don't perceive it as humble, just IMO):
This whole issue, as well as so many other much more serious problems facing our society and our world, is ultimately the result of a population that has been conditioned from childhood to not talk about "politics". Or for those that still do, to focus on, and argue about, the fake left/right paradigm (divide and conquer) but never look behind the curtain.
Therefore, the only truly innocent victims, IMO, are the very young...because at some point in the life of an individual, as well as that of an entire society, apathy, ignorance and denial advance from innocent, to willful, to malignant.

 

[admin]

@Spartan

specific, scientific definition that made a clear, concise differentiation between real pipe tobacco and fake pipe tobacco that is really RYO.”

I don't have it at my fingertips right now on Saturday night as I just glance at the forums before starting on my evening ... however ...
I read it a couple of years ago, and my recollection is that it specified certain types of cuts, moisture levels and amount of reducing sugars. It was almost a full typed page with all the specific descriptors.
@pitchfork

Anyhow, I'm just curious, does anyone know what the names of any of the RYO tobaccos now being labeled as pipe tobacco?

There's a bunch of them and they are easy for a real pipe smoker to spot a mile away. They are all sold in large, cheesy, 1 lb bags.

 

[briarbird]

@Kevin

Cheesy is, by far, the best adjective that you could have used. Well done :clap:

 

[pstlpkr]

I have held off posting this until I had it Ok'd by Kevin.

This is something I think everyone needs to hear.

And, yes... This is completely non-partisan...
Puritans Politicians Paternalism Can We Take Back Control of Our Own Lives

 

[pstlpkr]

I have held off posting this until I had it Ok'd by Kevin.

This is something I think everyone needs to hear.

And, yes... This is completely non-partisan...
Puritans Politicians Paternalism Can We Take Back Control of Our Own Lives

 

[romanza10]

Wow! Watch the video that Lawrence posted. It's 35mins of good sense and ideas.

 

[rigmedic1]

Thanks for posting the Link, Lawrence. Truer words were never spoken.