The 2026 state legislative sessions, spanning from coast to coast, will bring an anticipated package of opportunities and threats. The premium cigar and tobacco products sector will face legislative issues in over half of America’s state capitals. The following is a view of what PCA and our national network of state associations and retail partners may be confronting in the coming year:
- Tax legislation: Massachusetts and New York … and keeping an eye on Georgia;
- Flavor bans: Connecticut, Oregon, Indiana, Washington and New York;
- Generational bans/smoking restrictions: Hawaii, Massachusetts, Indiana, Florida, New York and Mississippi;
- Local authority: Hawaii and Missouri;
- Tax caps: Nebraska, New Jersey, Colorado, Virginia, Illinois and New York;
- Licensing: In an estimated dozen states;
- Regulatory issue: California;
- Cigar bar/lounge: Maryland, Kentucky, Montana and planning efforts in Ohio, Wisconsin and Michigan.
Please follow all state legislative alerts at CigarAction.org and contact PCA Director of State Advocacy Glynn Loope at Glynn@PremiumCigars.org with questions or additional information.
Nicaragua and Tariffs
The PCA continues its work on addressing the situation involving the “Report on Nicaragua’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Labor Rights, Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and the Rule of Law” issued by the United States Trade Representative.
This remains a sensitive and active discussion in which the association is engaging with coordinating associations, stakeholders, administration officials and congressional allies. The PCA Government Affairs team has participated in numerous discussions on the topic since the report’s release in October.
Effective advocacy does not always involve grassroots engagement or public messaging, especially on complex trade policy issues, and that is why the association is approaching this with the utmost discretion. We do not recommend adjudicating the report online or submitting non-substantive comments to the docket, as neither will aid the industry’s advocacy to protect the premium cigar industry.
The PCA will file comment(s) before the deadline, either jointly or independently, asserting the impacts on U.S. small businesses and employees if the report’s recommendations for increased tariffs and/or the suspension of Nicaragua from the CAFTA-DR treaty were to take effect.
The association will update members on matters related to this topic as developments occur, while maintaining discretion to avoid jeopardizing the effectiveness of any advocacy strategy being executed.
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 4, 2025. To receive a copy of this magazine, you must be a current PCA member. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.