Cigar Aficionado

Dear Marvin,

The FDA’s involvement in cigars is just another example of government overreaching in to the private lives of the citizenry. Regulating cigars will have the same effect as other regulated substances. There are regulations against underage drinking, cigarette smoking, recreational drugs, firearms and so on, yet we still see teens getting drunk or high, smoking cigarettes and shooting each other. Where regulation works is in throwing up road blocks to people who actually abide by the regulations. The shame of it all is that socialism is winning in the United States. Rather than focusing on trying to build stronger families in order to safeguard children, the government tries to insert itself as the all-knowing and all-powerful Nanny. Thanks Marvin but unfortunately ours is an uphill battle with little chance of success.

Mark Rymuza
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Editor’s Reply: I will never stop speaking out for our right to smoke and enjoy life. Nor should you.

Dear Marvin,

With the many substantial problems our country faces because of weak leadership it is not an accident that the government keeps us diverted dealing with issues about tobacco, cigars, etc. We should deluge Congress with our anger about further intrusion into our personal lives and habits. My God, marijuana is being legalized but the government wants to stop people from smoking cigars! This is so absurd. Let’s stand up for our privacy rights and be allowed to enjoy life. We don’t want a Nanny State.

Carlton Marcyan
Lake Forest, Illinois

Dear Marvin,

I realize that you have magazines to sell, and Cigar Aficionado is probably the finest magazine on the market today. However, that having been said, cigars pose a serious health risk for oral cancer as well as heart disease. David Letterman smoked 20 Cuban cigars a day and wound up with quintuple byes. Further, there is significant health risk from oral cancers posed by continued cigar smoking. Now, the public should be aware of this and not overindulge in the product. No tobacco product is technically safe. So, on the one hand we have all the different cigar tobaccos and technologies to choose from and on the other hand we have the well- known and serious risks of oral cancer. I’m sure it’s up to the individual to decide for themselves if they want to smoke or not. Therefore, I do not think it bad if the FDA weighs in on this and tells it like it is. Again, I know you have magazines to sell, and products to promote, but at the same time, people need to be well aware of what goes on in life from a medical point of view.

Louis Ciola
Snyder, New York

Editor’s Reply: And you, sir, have stop-smoking programs to sell. We have always maintained that some risks exist in cigar smoking, but the risks are fairly low when considering the smoking frequency of the average cigar enthusiast. The choice should be left to the individual.

Dear Marvin,

I’m curious as to why you use the British Pound currency for Cuban cigars when they’re readily available in Canada at a much cheaper price based on current exchange rates. As an example, the Montecristo No. 2 shown in the February 2014 issue has a price of £21.70, which converts to approximately $36.45 U.S. In Canada, the same cigar is C$28.00, which is approximately $25.20 U.S.

Jamie McMillan
Surrey, B.C., Canada

Editor’s Reply: A Montecristo No. 2 currently costs C$34.95 at a La Casa del Habano in Canada—about $32.15 U.S., so the difference is only a few dollars when compared to the U.K. Nevertheless, from the launch of the magazine, we decided to use U.K. prices partly because many of our American readers traveled there but also because we know the U.K. consistently receives good product.