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TOBACCO BUSINESS INTERNATIONAL
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
EDITOR’S NOTE
T
here’s an old adage based on an Alexander Graham
Bell quote that few people know in full. It goes like
this: “When one door closes another door opens,
but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the
closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”
That particular saying seems apropos for those of us who
make our living in the tobacco and vapor industries today.
Even as many predict gloom and doom for the newly FDA-
regulated product categories in our industry, there are oth-
ers who are looking forward—confident that there will be
opportunities in the evolving marketplace and determined
to make the most of them.
Those potential opportunities come in many forms, as
evidenced by the stories in our current issue. For example,
our cover story explores the market potential that cannabis
offers both retailers and manufacturers as state after state le-
galizes the leaf for consumption.
TBI
talked to Cheech Marin,
a well-known advocate of marijuana, about his foray into
marketing—rather than making movies about—what is fast
becoming a legal product (see p. 46). And our cover story
on the topic (p. 52) explores the opportunities that abound
for those willing to open their doors to cannabis, from a to-
bacco shop retailer who describes her successful move into
the glass pipe market to a vapor device that’s winning raves
from marijuana tokers.
Despite dire predictions from many about the future of va-
por products under FDA regulation, both this issue’s Electric
Alley column (p. 62) and vendor profile story (p. 80) show-
case businesses that are forging ahead in that category, de-
termined to fight for its future—and their own.
Not to be outdone, the cigar industry is also gearing up for
battle, as reported in our Cigar Sense column on p. 38 and
our coverage of this year’s IPCPR show on p. 72. Even as
cigar makers unveiled a slew of new products at the show,
racing against an August 8 deeming regulation deadline, the
industry also took the battle to the courts and to legislators,
arguing for an exemption for premium cigars and for chang-
es to the rules.
And finally, retailers are navigating the new rules, sussing
out what the regulatory changes under way mean for the
retail landscape both today and in the future. In our feature
story on p. 18, NATO’s Tom Briant offers an in-depth look at
how the deeming regulation compliance will unfold for the
tobacco retail community. (Look for more from Briant in our
next issue’s cover story, which celebrates NATO’s 15th anni-
versary.) Meanwhile, it’s business as usual for David Barnes,
owner of Asheville, North Carolina-based B&B Tobacconists,
who reports planning to take a wait-and-see approach to
FDA regulation as he continues to build on his base of pipe
and cigar customers in our Trench Marketing column (p. 66).
Clearly, there are plenty of doors opening in this ever-
evolving industry. We hope these pages will point you to-
ward a few worthy of exploring for your business.
—The Editors
Turning Over
NewLeaves
TBI
talked to Cheech Marin,
a well-known advocate of
marijuana, about his foray
into marketing—rather than
making movies about—
what is fast becoming
a legal product.