"Defined as indivisible - will it break . . . or simply bend?"

There is no better resource for information on issues that affect the rights of our citizenry than correspondence from those very citizens. If you have comments or questions, please do us all the favor of sharing them. Please send you e-mails to:
Letters to the Editor

We will post your communications as we receive them.
   Thanks  -  The Editor

Great Job,

I was turned on to your web site today, and just took a brief look. I worked nine years in the N.W region for Douwe Egberts the manufacture of Drum RYO. I am now with Peter Stokkebye International the importer and manufacture of Bali Shag RYO. Once Drum exited the US market due to Sara Lee selling D.E. to Imperial Tobacco, Great Britain I took a position with Santa Fe Tobacco, (American Spirits), but it just was not as fun. I loved the consumer base for RYO. My job working with Drum was so fun. I missed it tremendously.

When our old Drum NSM contacted me about working for Peter Stokkebye's Bali Shag I couldn't start soon enough. Bali is a RYO import from Denmark. I find the quality of Bali is even better than Drum.

I will make certain my company takes a look at advertising in your magazine. I am a native of Portland, Oregon and am very proud that your location is Ashland,OR. I am really not too surprised because Oregon and Washington states were the #1 & #2 states for Drum RYO sales.

What an awesome idea, your magazine. I am very excited for everyone involved with RYO Magazine. I will look for it.

A warning to RYO consumers. The Drum you may be seeing at retail should be examined closely. If the packaging reads Illinois, it is not Drum.

The manufactures of Top RYO are using the Drum name. This Drum has consistently turned mold. Distributors/wholesalers have several times had to return the Drum Republic Tobacco is manufacturing in ILL.

It is not from D.E. Holland and is not the real Drum. You may find a package from Holland here and there, but not for long. True Drum is not to be sold in the US market anymore. Sad, but true.

The Drum Republic Tobacco is packaging in Ill. is not even close to the original Drum. Be aware RYO consumers!

Good Luck, Sherrie

Hi,

I could go on, Take a look at our site (for our initial products) we have more products on the way, if you respond then I'll give you a full breakdown. http://typs.co.uk.tripod.com.

Hello, my name is Joe Clemson and I wish to thank you for your publication. It is long overdue and a most welcome addition to any RYO library. My wife Sharon and I have been involved with this industry for 10 years now. especially with the folks at CTC. We have been dealers of their products for quite a few years now and are seeing an upswing in business. We are in the process of redesigning and reposting our web site. Hope to have it completed and on line is a month. I am quite interested in advertising with you and if the need arises, writing for you as well.

Thank you again for a enlightening publication. Nice to see folks that care and are knowledgeable.

Joseph Clemson

Phil writes . . .

I found your magazine web site by accident. I found it very interesting, and stayed with it until I had read the whole thing. The article concerning the Laredo Cigarette Maker caught my attention, because I have the injector and an old tobacco tin. Your article said the kit came with tubes, with filters attached, but mine came with paper tubes, loose filters, and tobacco. First you would insert the filter in the slot in the machine. Then, tobacco would be placed in the slot next to the filter. Then the lever would be pulled to close the machine. The brown end of the paper tube would be placed over the metal nozzle at the end of the machine. The white slide mechanism would then be slid toward the paper tube, while thumb and forefinger would be holding the tube in place. The slide mechanism would then be slid back to its original position, and your cigarette is complete. I tried this back in the 70's as you did, but the difference of the cost of making your own versus buying cigarettes ready made was minimal. Therefore, I didn't continue to make my own.

About a year ago, when the price of cigarettes jumped drastically, I looked up my old Laredo machine and decided to try making my own again. Since I couldn't find filters and tubes locally, I decided to find other alternatives. I wound up buying a "Top" cigarette roller. Later, I found a place where I could buy loose filters and papers. From the directions on your web site about the "Top" cigarette roller making ugly cigarettes, I would have to disagree. You might want to try filling the trough between the rollers with tobacco, close the rollers, roll it 1 complete round of the blanket, then place your paper in the slot, roll it 3/4 of the way in, moisten, then finish rolling. I find this makes a neat looking cigarette. The "Top" cigarette roller is made in Taiwan. I have had a problem with the roller locking tips breaking off, if you have a little too much tobacco in the trough. There is a better roller on the market that is made in the USA. It is the "Bugler" or "Clear Machine" manufactured by ATM (American Trading and Mercantile, Inc.) in Tacoma, Washington. Their web address is www.handrolling.com . I have used one of these for almost a year now, and never broken a roller locking tip. Blankets will eventually wear out, but replacements are available. These blankets will make a "Top" rolling machine work better.

Attached to my e-mail is a photo (sorry about the quality) of my old Laredo injector machine, and an empty 3 ounce Laredo can. Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corp. of Louisville, Kentucky was the manufacturer.

Keep up the excellent work on the magazine, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Sincerely
Phil Rome
www.rfci.net/printshp

Jan from Oregon writes . . .

A Reality Check For Legislators & Gov. Kitzhaber

The Oregon Healthcare Plan recently needed 6.5M to keep it operational. Five million was from other State programs and 1.5 M from the State Emergency Fund. How sad! This action would not have been necessary if HB-3371 had been allowed to stand.

Government needs to understand what every business owner knows, you cannot gouge your customers and expect them to continue to support you. It is a market driven economy and the citizens will find other avenues to keep their hard earned dollars. If you give the citizens a reasonable tax, they will pay it and support important programs.

There are only fifteen stores like mine left in this state. Will putting the remaining fifteen shops out of business solve the Oregon Healthcare Plan's financial crisis? You can bet that there will be less than fifteen shops by the time the legislature reconvenes next year. Many of us are making our cigar & tobacco sales a much smaller part of our business operations, choosing instead to go in new directions to protect our investments, further eroding the excise tax collections.

You can have "feel good" legislation, or you can have excise tax revenue, but you cannot have it both ways. Several Oregon retailers gave testimony and wrote letters this past legislative session on HB-3371. We told the legislators on the various committees what was happening in the marketplace and how much it has cost us and ultimately the state in revenue. Yet, there are foolish legislators who see a decline in revenue collections as a sign that the smoking rates are declining in this state. Taxation as a form of social engineering is a very costly proposition.

In this era of "political correctness" conventional wisdom suggest that cutting the OTP is a no-no for politicians. But the collapse of the excise tax revenue is now a major concern for the State Treasury. Five million dollars cut from other state programs and one and a half million from the Emergency Fund! Where will you cut next time? How much more can be taken from the Emergency Fund? Legislators had the chance last session, maybe some clearer heads will prevail next legislative session.

Respectfully submitted,
Jan Esler-Rowe

If you have information regarding pending tobacco legislation in your local or state government, please share it with us and we will, in turn, share it with all in these pages. If you want to keep abreast of pending federal legislation, go to http://thomas.loc.gov for a listing of all bills before Congress. For tobacco-specific legislation, you will have to use their search engine. Look under the Legislation column, click on 106th under the Bill Summary and Status heading. Next, Search using Word/Phrase, and when the new page comes up, type the word "tobacco" in the Word/Phrase box. Here you will find all current tobacco legislation before Congress. Of special note is #25 HR 2579 - To impose restrictions on the sale of cigars.

Hope you'll join us again.
                 -The Editor

Email us with any comments on this and/or any other issues that relate to your freedom of choice.