CRA Takes the Premium Cigar Case to State Lawmakers in Chicago

On July 27, Cigar Rights of America co-hosted its annual cigar reception at the National Conference of State Legislatures annual meeting in Chicago, held at The Clayton. The Premium Cigar Association and the Cigar Association of America joined CRA, and together the three trade groups spent the evening talking with state legislators and legislative staff about what is coming for premium cigars in 2027.

The crowd was geographically wide. CRA reported conversations with representatives from Tennessee, Massachusetts, Arizona, Minnesota, South Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and other states. That range matters because most of the legislation that touches cigars now moves through statehouses and county commissions faster than anything in Washington. The reception is a chance to explain the product before a bill is drafted.

The threats on the table are familiar by now, but they keep expanding. Flavored tobacco bans, generational tobacco bans, tax increases, shipping restrictions, retailer licensing, and plain packaging are all advancing in different states. Most are aimed at cigarettes and nicotine products, but the language is often broad enough to sweep premium cigars in by accident. CRA's pitch in Chicago was that premium cigars are a distinct category and should be treated like one.

The argument is economic as much as philosophical. Premium cigars support small manufacturers, neighborhood retailers, and the adult consumers who buy them. A policy written for a disposable vape pod does not fit a hand-rolled cigar, and the industry wants legislators to see the difference before they vote.

CRA, PCA, and CAA have made the NCSL reception an annual event, and the 2026 version arrived at a useful moment. Federal pressure on cigars has eased in tone, but state and local fights are multiplying. Building relationships in a hotel ballroom in July is how the industry tries to keep those fights from becoming laws in January.