Smigiel: I'll float a bill to legalize cigar shipments

Now that consumer shipments of premium cigars have apparently been outlawed by the 2010 General Assembly, Del. Mike Smigiel says he'll introduce a bill in this fall's special session to make them legit again.

"The comptroller's office told me they had 300 complaints already," says Smigiel, a Republican representing Cecil, Caroline, Kent and Queen Anne's counties. "I have every indication from the comptroller's office" that they'll support a change making shipments of premium cigars (often defined as more than $2 apiece) OK for Web and catalog vendors. "We're working on this. We're going to fix it. It was an unintended consequence" of a bill requiring licensing of wholesalers of cigars and pipe tobacco. "It certainly was not meant to interfere with the individual" buyer of nice cigars by mail.

"We welcome the comptroller to do that. We opposed this legislation when it was introduced," said Craig Williamson of the Cigar Association of America. " We were disappointed to see the provision which prohibits Maryland consumers to purchase legal products from an Internet retailer."

What Williamson really wanted to know, however, about Comptroller Peter Franchot, was: “Do you know if he’s going to be enforcing it?" in the meantime before the ban gets fixed. "Everybody wants to know.”

I do not know the answer. Stay tuned.