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Regulations hang over us

If you are involved in any type of business, you no doubt spend a great deal of your time figuring out how you are going to deal with the latest rounds of regulations.

One thing our government does extremely well is issue regulations. It’s a great way to create jobs, because with new regulations comes a need to create a bureaucracy to administer the regulations. Some are good — they protect workers while on the job and help to ensure the food we eat and products we buy are as safe as they can be.

They also can give the government a greater say in how we live our lives.

Either way, an ever-increasing set of regulations can make it challenging to run a business, work as a manager or employee in a business or just set aside some time to kick back and relax.

But imagine your name is, say, Rocky Patel, and your business is cigars. Not just any cigars, but premium cigars, and your name is on those cigars and synonymous with a brand that is considered to rank among the best in the world.

If you are in that position, you will find that a growing number of local, state and federal regulations aimed at smoking in general and cigars in particular are making it more and more difficult to navigate from the business side — and making it more difficult for the men — and women — who like to kick back with a good cigar to enjoy the product.

That’s one of the messages Patel shared with a group of about 70 residents from across the Tri-State Area who gathered Wednesday for an event at the Shannopin Country Club in the North Hills of Pittsburgh. Sponsored by Smoker Friendly, the evening offered the opportunity to meet Patel and get an up-close look at many offerings from his line.

Patel discussed the latest FDA regulations and how they applied to cigars. Since Aug. 8, the FDA has required pre-authorization applications from cigar manufacturers before their products can be sold,  according to the Miami Herald. What that means is that cigar makers could now find themselves in the position of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover fees and testing for new products, Patel explained.

Cigars sold prior to Feb. 15, 2007, are exempt from the regulations, but the changes could lead to fewer new cigars being introduced and some manufacturers being forced out of the business.

Those federal regulations are just the tip of the iceberg, Patel explained.

“There are some places in California where they are making it illegal to smoke in your own home,” he said.

It’s a battle that’s being fought all over the country, as officials look to limit exposure to second-hand smoke while trying to acknowledge the right of adults to enjoy a legal product. It was a fight that played out in Hancock County not too long ago.

The talk covered much more than the regulatory environment. The 55-year-old Patel, who was born in India and who at one time was an entertainment and product liability attorney in Los Angeles, offered an overview about how hard work has helped him to succeed in a tough business. He described how a cigar is made, from the time a tobacco seed is first planted through the completion of the finished product, while speaking on a patio that sits outside the clubhouse of the club, which offers an incredible view of the Pittsburgh skyline.

Despite the tough regulations, Patel is looking for ways to expand his business. An example of that is coming to Pittsburgh’s North Shore later this year when Burn by Rocky Patel opens. The concept combines an upscale cigar lounge with a high-end cocktail lounge and, of course, a well-stocked humidor. It will be the first time Patel will be taking the idea from Naples, Fla., where the first Burn opened in 2010.

Arguments about regulations aside, Patel said that cigars remain a simple pleasure, something that can bring people together, as they have for generation after generation. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, what your religion is or what your politics are, there’s something about settling back with a cigar and a drink that allows people to enjoy the company of one another and life in general, he said.

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If you care about the environment, you will be interested in an event the soil and water conservation districts in Jefferson, Harrison and Belmont counties have joined forces to put together. Officials of those organizations have joined with several area sponsors to bring Chad Pregracke to town for appearances on Sept. 9 and10.

Pregracke is the founder of Living Lands and Waters. He has been working to clean the Mississippi, Illinois and Ohio rivers.

He’ll be speaking at a free event that’s open to the public at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 at Eastern Gateway Community College.

Then on Sept. 10, he will speak during a two-hour cruise along the Ohio River aboard the Gateway Clipper fleet’s Princess riverboat. While the event was sold out shortly after plans were revealed, organizers have reported that a very limited number of general admission tickets has been made available at a cost of $50 each.

For $150, you can obtain a VIP ticket, which includes a ticket to the cruise and admission to a cocktail-and-hors d’oeuvres reception, a signed copy of his book “From the Bottom Up: One Man’s Crusade to Clean America’s Rivers” and the opportunity to have a photograph taken with Pregracke.

For information, call the Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District at (740) 264-9790.

(Gallabrese, a resident of Steubenville, is executive editor of the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times.)

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