-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- At 01:32 AM 9/4/97 -0700, Blanc wrote:
Lucky Green wrote:
As signs in any liquor store have been informing tobacco customers for months, new FDA regulations require stores to check the ID of any tobacco customer under 25. This despite the fact that you are legally allowed to
The FDA rules that took effect last February (since when did the FDA gain authority over 7-11?) say that anyone who "appears to be under 27 years of age" has to be carded.
purchase tobacco products at age 18. If the store fails to check the ID of a person legally permitted to conduct the purchase but is under age 25, the store faces hefty fines. ........................................................
Another odd thing is how popular cigars have become lately. Last month I bought a copy of "Cigar Aficionado" magazine to peruse, even though I don't smoke, because it was so pretty :>) and spent quite some time looking at their web site. It is a curious matter that when one "vice" is squelched, another grows in its place. This magazine really emphasizes living "the good life", and I discovered that there are places springing up all over the U.S. (and I expect elsewhere) which are smoking clubs - people can actually go there just to smoke their cigar, perhaps with a glass of after-dinner liquor. I thought this was a great idea, myself, because here these people can be with others who enjoy the same activity, and there's no one outside who can complain (not yet, anyway).
Cigars are not covered by the recent Tobacco Agreement either. Nor are foreign or "boutique" cigarette brands. Business opportunity?
I think sometimes it is not only a Truth, but a great & useful Means to an End, that "living well is the best revenge".
Even cigarette smoking is having a bit of a revival in movies and among the young. After all, in a world which has abolished sin it is a genuine government-certified sin. Evita Rodham Clinton wrote a column attacking Julia Roberts for smoking in "My Best Friend's Wedding." When asked about the attack during a publicity appearance for "Conspiracy Theory," Mel Gibson defended his co-star by saying "I'll stop smoking when they stop lying." DCF -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP for Personal Privacy 5.0 Charset: noconv iQCVAwUBNA7M6YVO4r4sgSPhAQFR7QQA1l/v7FJAGC1KJxKTFwBk4KWgkeQn5iD0 U8UpM56HShwAhIdtukWtq3Dy17kvZ1z/GJS0aKwIrWbNdKPeCIZ+yERA2M+UbJPh TwKpwScBy0J+435xoORs7VsZsmdlfXpzjKlltVEox4rMHuQ4X5Wpv5xOkKSjW+Nj +orzNm+Plbo= =+UDW -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----