When you think of July 4th in the United States, the number 13 might come to mind.

The 13 original colonies and the War for Independence?

Thirteen stars in a circle on the legendary first U.S. flag Betsy Ross sewed?

Liberty?

Freedom?

Well, this year you can also think of the 13 state-wide bans against smoking in public places, including restaurants, bars, clubs and some casinos, in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Colorado’s legislation, which went into effect just four days before Independence Day, brings us to that not-so-magical number.

The bad news continues below the fold…

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From Cigar Jack comes a tip about the Georgetown Cigar Party, a protest against the anti-smoking legislation recently passed in the state of Washington.

I’m in the process of getting more information from contacts in Washington which I hope to pass along later today, but the gist of the idea is to have a protest modelled after the Boston Tea Party. It will be held on Friday, December 2, 2005 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm at Rain City Cigar, 5963 Corson Ave., S., Suite 130, Seattle, Washington. Phone number for the store is (206) 767-3619 and their email address is raincitycigar@qwest.net.

Some of the tobacco industry people who will be at the Party include: Patrick Dewitt of General Cigar Co., Steve Martin of Altadis USA, and Don Hanes of Monarch Marketing. The event is being characterized in a flyer put out by Rain City Cigar as “an Act of Resistance,” where “great blue clouds of smoke” will be cast into the air before a copy of Initiative 901 will be symbolically thrown into the trash and the group will prepare for a protest march on Washington’s capital, Olympia.

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