The sale of individual, cheap cigars will be banned in Baltimore under a regulation announced Wednesday.
“These products are addictive and deadly,” Mayor Sheila Dixon said at a news conference at City Hall announcing the changes. “And yet, cheap cigars often carry no health label at all.”
Regulation of these cigars, which health officials say are marketed to youth, would put them on par with cigarettes, which also may not be sold individually. Starting on Oct. 1, the cigars must be sold in packs of five.
Selling cigarettes in packs of 20 keeps the prices high and makes them less appealing to young people, said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein.
“Reducing tobacco [use] among young people requires a combination of methods,” he said.
The single cigars, such as Phillies, Black and Mild and Swisher Sweets, cost about 50 cents at convenience stores and come in a variety of flavors, officials said.
Cigarette smoking among Baltimore youth has been steadily dropping to about 9.2 percent in 2007, according to health officials. Meanwhile, youth cigar use has increased to 8.6 percent in 2007 from 7.5 percent in 2005.
Dixon said she plans to introduce a bill in the City Council to require the cigars be sold in packs of five to provide enforcement and tougher penalties.
“We need to back it up with legislation so we have the enforcement,” she said.
After an initial warning, establishments selling single cigars would get a $100 fine under the regulation. The legislation would carry a $150 first-time fine for violators, Sharfstein said.
Cigars sold in tobacco stores or those costing more than $2.50 are not included in the regulation.
The regulations were proposed last spring, and following a public comment period, officials determined the cigars were a public health nuisance and within the Baltimore City Health Department’s authority to regulate.
Opponents to the legislation, such as the Maryland Association of Tobacco and Candy Distributors, challenged the health department’s authority to regulate cigars.
“It’s an enforcement problem,” said Bruce Bereano, a lobbyist for the association, adding the state regulates tobacco sales. A similar ban is being legally challenged in Prince George’s County, Bereano said, and if legislation is passed in Baltimore City, “it will wind up in court.” [email protected]
