For one, the tobacco leaves used for some cigars are traced towards medicinal herbs that may be good for the body. This was done in ancient times and has been forgotten ever since.

Cigars are also associated with aid in weight loss. While such may be considered an unorthodox way of putting up with it, some people have found it effective although there may be hitches with regards to health as the inhaled smoke may be bad for the body as smoking has been known for.

Either way, health or health risk, the ultimate decision on passing judgment towards cigars and tobacco leaves will still fall on the hands of the person who smokes them. The final word will always be theirs.

To some people, it would be best to check out the labels that they come with. The years specified in each box or label have a purpose and this is to show how long the cigar has been preserved thus for people to expect a higher quality taste for them.

Aging cigars may draw negative conclusions. But this would depend entirely on how educated the person who will be lighting the cigar is. There is no basis for waste when one talks about the length of storage a cigar has. The longer a cigar is kept, the better the taste it will provide once it is lit and smoked.

Many people would not understand why such traditional practices have become what it is today. For what it is worth, it has been proven that the longer a person would smoke, the higher the risk of contracting diseases since smoke is known to have harmful effects on the internal organs of the body. One of the known risks is that of cancer which punctures at every given opportunity to these heavy smokers. Also, maybe it has become a habit or a mental awareness issue since people has had this knack for needing to perform similar rituals day in and day out.

Some have resorted to trying to quit the habit. Using alternatives such as gum or applying filters to lower the nicotine intake has not done much to alter the demand for tobacco manufacturers today. The efforts made are totally unexplainable and despite the hazard warnings and medical inclinations placed on them, people still continue to patronize and look for them.

Whatever the case may be, it all boils down to really sheer will power to kick the smoking habit and nothing else. Perhaps when the mortality rate of people dying from lung cancer would drop, then it can be said that people are doing something to really kick the habit of smoking.

Cigar smoking is believed to be addicting. Nicotine is the primary culprit that people would turn to but yet people would care less. Some would take up smoking to relax themselves, while there are people who really have no sufficient to smoke. Some would feel that it is just a form of identification to be accepted in social events.

But just the same, smoking would really be something a person would best avoid since it is a habit that is really hard to kick. The final decision on it would be on the person and depending on the actual reason why they do smoke these tobacco leaves for self-satisfaction.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway of Dallas, Texas is proposing a similar measure. He originally proposed to disallow many stores to sell cigars unless the sold them in bundles of at least 5. His reasoning is that there are people in his district who are buying cigars by the piece and then removing the tobacco inside. These people would then replace the tobacco leaves with another sort of leaf – marijuana. Essentially, what Caraway is targeting is the use of drugs, and not really tobacco.

Recent developments have caused a halt in the process, however. According to The Dallas Morning News, the Deputy Mayor has been swayed a bit by tobacco lobbyists:

But when the agenda item came before the council this morning, Caraway, with the blessing of area tobacco industry lobbyists Ken Benson, began to offer an amendment, the details of which weren’t readily clear to us — or several members of the City Council.

So before any action could be taken, the council deferred the item to today’s afternoon session. Then, in the afternoon session, the council delayed the item indefinitely while staff researches legalities surrounding banning tobacco sales.

He is not far from defeated though. He vows he will take things right to President Obama if he needs to.

If you live in Baltimore, then you would know about this by now. In fact, I distinctly remember writing about this piece of legislation some time ago. I didn’t think that it would ever be passed for sure but I guess I was wrong. According to the Baltimore Examiner, starting October 1 of this year, you can only buy cheap cigars in packs of 5s. I guess it is not such a big deal for those who smoke regularly. Buying 5 cigars is not something unusual, especially if you buy the brand that you normally smoke.

What has gotten under my skin is the prevailing attitude that I am sensing regarding the issue. Take this quote from Mayor Sheila Dixon. According to the article I just read, she said “These products are addictive and deadly. And yet, cheap cigars often carry no health label at all.”

Addictive and deadly, ok. These could very well be true. But then again, cigar shop owners and cigar smokers do not force other people to buy them, right? I mean, everyone knows the potential health hazards that smoking cigars pose. This brings me to the second sentence – the one about the health labels. Come on now, cigarettes have labels all over them. Have these things stopped smokers from buying cartons upon cartons of cigarettes? In countries like Thailand, they even have gross pictures on the cartons, in an effort to discourage people from buying them. But do people stop? No!

All I am saying is that you can’t stop people from smoking if they want to. Don’t use that as an excuse for some politicking.

If you do buy cigars individually and you live in Prince George County, then you are crap out of luck as the County Council just passed a bill which disallows the sale of individual cigars. The rationale behind this move is to lessen the use of marijuana. Where is the connection?

Apparently, the youth in the area buy individual cigars not to smoke them but to use the wrapper to roll joints. This is the relatively cheap alternative to wrappers for joints. So, in an effort to make it more expensive for the young people, individual cigar sales are not allowed anymore. Another implication of t his bill is that cigars can fall under the legal definition of drug paraphernalia if used in the method described above.

I understand the rationale in theory but do they think that the measure will actually deter the youth from using marijuana? Come on now, let’s not fool ourselves…

This is the argument that the authorities over at Baltimore are banking on. They want to ban the sales of these cigars so that teenagers would not be able to buy them. The Baltimore Sun reports:

City health officials have received a large number of comments – pro and con – about a proposed ban on the sale of single cheap cigars, which tend to be smoked by young people who like them because they come in flavors such as grape, cherry and vanilla.

The city’s proposal has garnered national attention because if the ban is enacted, Baltimore would be the first municipality to take such a stand against the cigars, which are sold under the names Black & Mild, White Owl and The Game. On the street, the cigars are sometimes called “blunts” or “loosies.”

Naturally, there are those who are for the proposal while there are those who are against it. Personally, I think that they should just create stricter enforcement measures so as to restrict the teenagers’ access to these cigars. What do you think?

Different people would certainly have varying answers to the questions above but I am sure that there is quite a number of adult smokers today who, in one way or another, found smoking appealing because of something they saw in the movies. Now I am not saying that Hollywood or the entertainment industry in general is to blame. However, you have to admit that they do have a great degree of influence.

Anyway, California governor and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger has voiced his strong opinion on the issue. According to The Press Association:

Cigar-loving Arnold Schwarzenegger says children need to be warned often about the dangers of smoking, but Hollywood should not feel pressured to ban cigarettes and cigars from films aimed at youngsters.

Despite research that shows big-screen scenes of tobacco use can tempt kids to light up, the Terminator star-turned California governor said film-makers needed artistic freedom, particularly in historical settings.

He scoffed at the notion that someone would play Winston Churchill without his trademark stogie in hand.

“I personally don’t believe that we should erase cigarettes in movies. I don’t believe that we should erase it when someone smokes a cigar in a movie. I think that we should remind people and kids all the time about the dangers of smoking,” the Republican governor said. “To suddenly tell actors not to smoke a cigarette in a movie when they portray a character is ludicrous. I think this is going too far.”

I agree with him. Children should be taught at home and in schools about the dangers of smoking. After all, they should not get their “education” from movies alone.

What’s your take on this?