A Good Cigar is a … Cigarette?

State legislator John Brautigam of Falmouth has proposed a bill that would reclassify "little cigars" as cigarettes, making them subject to the same state taxes as cigarettes, according to a report in the Bangor Daily News on February 19th. A pack of little cigars costs less than half the price of a pack of cigarettes because they are not subject to Maine’s cigarette tax, according to the article.

Critics of the little cigars say they are designed to encourage smoking by young people - a charge industry spokesmen deny. The cigars come in different flavors, with filters, and bright packaging that does not include any health warnings. Brautigam told the BDN that calling little cigars ‘cigarettes’ would deter young people from smoking and provide up to $2 million in state taxes annually.