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So I don't understand all the implication of the FDA baloney that's brewing, but I did take action.

My plan for years has been to order 5 lbs of 5100 the moment I thought the end was near for tobacco. I'm not sure why I came up with that plan -- it's not like 5 lbs. is a life-time solution -- but I've had it in mind for years. I pulled the trigger earlier this week. I'm sure the "end" isn't really near, but I think the beginning of it is. My fear is mail order will be the first thing to be squeezed out, and costs will go up almost certainly. Even if this is much ado about nothing, it never seems like a bad idea to cellar!

Anyone else stock up?

Now I need to go buy a bunch of mason jars. As tedious a project as jarring tobacco might be, I'm really excited about it. Its like storing up treasure!

Time to stock up for sure. It does not look good for pipe tobacco that is produced in the USA. Foreign blends are relatively safe for the near future.

I spoke with the IPCPR last week, waded through about 150 pages of the deeming regulations, and sat through 2 1/2 hours of webinar videos. What it really boils down to is how onerous the "Pre Market Authorization" process is for smaller manufacturers. Some estimates seem to hint that thousands of man hours and dollars will be required to properly acquire a PMA. This will largely depend on the regulatory authoritie's real objective, ie the systematic elimination of all tobacco products, or a way to increase tax revenue. Tobacco taxes fund a huge amount of government programs right now. Something tells me that greed will ultimately trump public health concerns. Once the government begins to lose tax revenue the number of new regulations are likely to decrease.

Retailers won't affected much except for the prohibition against free samples and the requirement to post more warning labels.

I've drafted a personal letter to the FDA as well as to my federal representatives asking for clarification regarding the impact of these new regulations. If I learn anything, I'll be sure to share.

Tyler wrote:.... My plan for years has been to order 5 lbs of 5100 the moment I thought the end was near for tobacco.

Yep, I ordered 5 lbs of 5110 earlier this week! It's their Dark English, and my go to smoke... Also ordered provisions to make up a large batch of my second favorite mixture... Sounded like bulk tobacco was going to be tough to pull off with the new regs. Who knows? Lots of things could happen as this is sorted out... But even if our current options are still available, I doubt they'll be any cheaper...

It's not a reaction to the FDA, but I have 7 KY Dark plants in the ground, and four more I'm trying to find a spot for... I live in the heart of the Black Patch region, where almost all of that stuff is grown, so thought it would be fun to give it a try along with my vegetables....

I saw all this coming and took action a few years ago. Everyone in my pipe club thought I was a Nut!!! They don't think that now. The prices have gone up and up! I'm whimsical about all this, but feel at least 50 lbs is a good start, a hundred better. Anytime the gov. gets involved, things go to hell. You can always leave what's left to the ones you love that smoke pipes. Stock up on cigars also! The people behind all this haven't a clue that this country was founded on tobacco and alcohol. It has been taxed to death. They are poisoning the well. We just don't want to be caught in the middle. So don't panic, which will drive up prices, just start stocking up.Buy from several dealers.

Got it.

I may also have ordered a few pounds of haddo's from another source. That comes Tuesday.

I've been cellaring for the past couple of years, but I need to be ordering more soon. The officials raising taxes will soon learn to appreciate law of diminishing returns as people find ways to circumvent the system. In the end, attempting to restrict things God created isn't gonna work out. It never has and never will. Eventually, this situation will have to turn around because it's a dead end.

I'm just about due to order another few pounds of 5100. That is usually the first thing I do after the KC show. I think I have about 8 pounds now. I would like to double that this year...at least.

With the amount of cigars, pipe tobacco, and beer that Scottie is hoarding the forum should be about to smoke and drink happily for the next 10 years, as long as she doesnt mind going rogue and selling them all on the black market.

It will all be used as currency after the apocalypse!

Tobacco as currency? Your vision of the apocalypse sounds a lot like a cliche prison movie haha.

I'm planning a trip back home in July. Previously, I haven't had the chance to try a lot of blends, and it looks like Scottie and Tyler have the post apocalypse 5100 market locked down. I need to decide if buying a variety of recommended blends is the way to go, or getting more of what I know I like. I really dont like being put in this situation.

Kiel

It looks like tobacco blends introduced after 2007 will be affected mostly -- I saw in a recent email from P&C that their monthly blend will be going away, as well as their Marque line. Anyone else know what might be disappearing? Haddo's should be safe...

Adam

I spent some time last night on the FDA website and it looks pretty clear from the ruling that a briar pipe intended for smoking tobacco would be considered a "component" of the consumption of Nicotine and would therefore fall under FDA legislation. This would apparently mean that "each new design" we come up with would need to be evaluated by the FDA at a cost of $10,000 per design.

1. Whether it's right, wrong, big brother, I am concerned that this may dramatically affect our ability to make artisan pipes. Is anyone else? Why/why not?

2. Shouldn't it be possible to get the "design" of the tobacco pipe generally approved? It's a very simple design compared to all the variants of vaping devices which is really what the FDA is after. On the one hand, I've read that cigar manufacturers have had no luck getting a general exemption. However, cigars themselves are direct Nicotine products and pipes are not. The deeming laws in the FDA document make this distinction clearly.

Both my grandpa and great-grandpa smoked a pipe, their choice of tobacco was homegrown, out of the filed onto a drying rack in the barn. This was not from the tobacco fields from back east, but from west Texas cotton country. This was 60 plus years ago and granted it was not the quality of the "blends" that are available in the tobacco shops, but they still smoked it.

Grandpa had a big garden and there were always a row or 2 of tobacco plants. He wasn't particular, because when he bought it was usually Prince Albert pipe tobacco. He also rolled his own cigarettes, usually Durham, there was another brand, but cannot remember it. Today he would probably get busted for having drug paraphernalia, with his pipes and rolling papers.

Hello, I am not a traditional pipe maker, but rather an electronic pipe maker. My name is Sam and I am the owner/crafter of Freight train mods. I learned a lot from this forum getting started, and I still learn things and gain inspiration from you guys today, thanks so much for all you share with the world.

I am losing my job because of these regulations, yes that's right, smoking pipes are fine to manufacture still, but vaping pipes are subject to the full force of the fda's regulation, whether or not they are finished "tobacco products"(under FDA definition.) They want me to register my "facility" (a 16×20 tool shed lol) and give them a detailed breakdown of every "ingredient" in my pipes.

I cannot afford to go on past February, when they want the chemical breakdown of my pipes, but my business is doomed anyway for when the PMTA (pre-market tobacco approval) is due in less than 2 years under threat of law. My tiny business will of course not be able to submit a 100,000 plus dollar PMTA for every variation on my pipes, with no guarantee of FDA acceptance.

I think it is ludicrous that they are coming after pipe tobacco manufacturers, as I think it a pointless regulation that only brings undue burden on small business. However I think it personally far more ludicrous to go after a guy who makes wooden objects with wires in them, that on their own (how I sell them) are NOT capable of vaporizing a nicotine containing eliquid. You could just as well screw a flashlight bulb on the end as you could an atomizer.

I feel for all of those effected by this, I wish there was more I could do to help. You should all feel fortunate that they did not regulate smoking pipe manufacturing as well, they very well could have if they felt like it.

Sorry for the rant, thanks for everything!
Sam Harris
http://www.freighttrainmods.com

Edit: after reading more on the forum... sounds like you guys are screwed too lol. Corruption knows no bounds.

So why not just sell flashlights that the end user can modify into a vaporizer then? I feel for you though. This FDA thing bothers me to no end.

This was briefly discussed at Tyler's meet-up and I believe it was Premal who indicated he had seen something to the effect that pipe makers were currently NOT on the radar screen.
To some extent it smacks of the Fed's attitude toward the legalization of weed. They are not enforcing the federal laws because they have bigger fish to fry. If HRC wins the election I suspect that attitude will continue.
My personal opinion is that some clowns (with prodding from Big Tobacco) at the FDA had to justify their existence.

Sandahl I love your work, a whole lot of great stuff coming out of your shop
I wish it were that easy but due to some vaguely worded stuff in the deeming regs, any device that COULD be used to vaporize a nicotine containing eliquid without considerable modification is deemed a tobacco product. At least that is how I have had it explained to me by my friend that is a big wig in the industry.
It seems the fda has the VAPE regs sewed up like a dolphins ass...water tight. NOBODY will be able to skirt them effectively without risk.
It's up to Congress and the courts now... our only hope.

Pipes not this round? The other guy, is O.K??? Wake up ! We are all on the block for butchering. This is not how Gov. should work!!! I feel bad that the American people are so easily fooled. This is the time to raise some hell with your reps. My neighbor is from Australia, He can tell you all about His tobacco and guns. That's right, He has neither!!! Now, He watches us going into the crapper like they did. I asked Him the other day if He could take some tobacco to a fellow pipe smoker when He visits? His answer is , No! Too afraid of what might happen. Well back to the sand box!!!

For awhile I thought I had made an overly hasty decision. I no longer feel this way.

So sad.