If you have not already done so, you have until 11.59pm on Friday (October 2) to respond to the Government's latest tobacco-related consultation.

Bizarrely, some of the proposals in the Tobacco and vapes: packaging, appearance and display' consultation could result in further restrictions on the sale and marketing of vapes and other reduced risk products including heated tobacco, but what has gone largely under the radar, until recently, is the potential impact on cigars.

Last month, for example, the Telegraph reported that 'Cigars face extinction under Labour ‘nanny state’ attack'. Among those quoted was Jemma Freeman, chairman of Hunters & Frankau, the UK's main importer and distributor of hand-made cigars from Cuba and other countries in the Caribbean and Central America. According to Freeman, plain packaging on cigars "will end this business in between three to five years. It will be a total wipe-out."

*Brian Monteith at the Forest Annual Lunch earlier this year*

Former Forest spokesman Brian Monteith (above) then used his Telegraph column to argue that 'The plot to stamp out cigars is proof we are living under a bully state'. A ban on traditional cigar packaging would be 'petty, patronising and pointless', he wrote, adding, 'It is an existential threat to the specialist shops dotted around the country (even most large towns or cities cannot support more than one) because they will be forced – at their own expense – to repackage highly valuable existing stock. New boxes, wrappers and bands for every single cigar will need to be made and applied.'

A similar point was made by Save Cigars campaigner Phil Buckthorpe. Interviewed on GB News, Buckthorpe told presenter Dawn Neesom: "The problem is, the manufacturers and the distributors of the cigars are unlikely to continue to ship them to the UK if they have to do this repackaging. So while people may think, 'I'll still get my cigars, they're just going to be packaged differently', the reality is a lot of the product lines won't make it to the UK anymore."

Note too that a recent article in Drum magazine r('What happens when you put a $1,000 box of cigars in plain packaging?') made some interesting points including, 'A cigar box is not only a piece of branding. Some identify the country and factory where the cigars were made, or when they were rolled or packed. Others help authenticate the box, trace its route through the supply chain or identify a particular maker or edition.'

To respond to the consultation online please go direct to the survey on the government website. You don't have to answer every question. In addition, however, to cigars, cigarillos, cigarette papers and heated tobacco, products covered by the consultation include vapes and other smokeless nicotine products so if your concerns go beyond tobacco please complete each section.

See also: Have your say on tobacco and vape packaging, appearance and display (Action on Smoking and Health). According to ASH:

Some vape industry and consumer groups are mobilising opposition to the proposed vape regulations through the ‘SaveVaping’ campaign and lobbying through the media.
The cigar industry has also mounted a campaign against plans to introduce standardised packaging for all tobacco products, and the industry-backed ‘Save Cigars’ campaign claims to have generated over 1,700 responses opposing the regulations.
This risks skewing the consultation responses and could undermine the Government's ability to use other powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Act.
We need a strong response from public health professionals, members of the public and young people to show how much support there is for the proposals.

If that doesn’t inspire you to respond to the consultation, nothing will!

Save our cigars!

University challenge