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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Maryland Officials Give Mixed Signals on Enforcing Internet Cigar Ban

If you live in Maryland and order a box of $5 stogies over the Internet this summer, you might get busted for accepting an illegal tobacco shipment.

Or you might not.


    Comptroller Peter Franchot says he doesn't want to enforce a prohibition on Internet sales of premium cigars that took effect May 1.


    The ban was "an unintended consequence" of 2010 reform of wholesale tobacco commerce, he said in a letter to legislative leaders dated Monday. He asked their permission to suspend enforcement of the law until the fall, when the General Assembly meets again.


    The legislators' reaction, basically, was: Huh?


    "We don't have any authority to suspend a law," said a spokeswoman for House Speaker Michael E. Busch.


    "Neither the governor nor myself nor the speaker has the authority to suspend a law that was enacted by the General Assembly and signed by the governor," said Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller.


    Miller said he has never received such a request. "It's contrary to Government 101," he added.


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    3 comments:

    Anonymous said...

    i think we should see the writing on the wall.

    FRANCHOT is lining himself up to be the next Governor.

    i can hardly contain myself with the excitement.

    He is a liberal progressive who only wants to bury the people of this state in taxes and fees

    tmills said...

    Ahh, the old "unintended consequences." Like girls having babies to get checks and mothers wanting their kids diagnosed with add for profit.

    Anonymous said...

    Hey 11:41:
    Or just Maryland government giving another push to get more folks to leave this god forsaken state!!!!
    Only a jackass liberal could come up with sucj=h a statement as "unintended consequences"!!!