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From the Makers of "Little Kegs"

Sometimes it seems as if, for every piece of legislation, there is an equal and opposite loophole to render that legislation ineffective. Today's loophole comes ...

little-cigars.jpg Sometimes it seems as if, for every piece of legislation, there is an equal and opposite loophole to render that legislation ineffective.

Today's loophole comes in the form of cigarettes big cigarettes "little cigars." Tobacco companies are marketing little cigars, which look a heckuva lot like cigarettes, to evade taxes and attract younger customers.

The products are the same size, shape and weight as cigarettes, but they, uh, have a brown wrapper instead of a white one. That makes them exempt from cigarette taxes and marketing restrictions.

Attorneys general from 40 states have asked the federal government to regulate "little cigars" --which have doubled in sales since the 1998 tobacco settlements -- as what they are: namely, "cigarettes."

Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
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