These days, it seems like there’s no aspect of our lives that is outside the reach of divisive politics. Cigars are no exception, with government seemingly on a perpetual assault of the rights of cigar smokers, tobacconists and manufacturers at the federal, state and municipal levels.

Few states are more notorious for their restrictive anti-tobacco policies than New York. With a gubernatorial election coming later this year, incumbent Andrew Cuomo (who is a safe bet in the Democrat primary) faces not only a Republican challenger, but also an unusually competent third-party challenge from Libertarian Larry Sharpe.

Cigar Snob senior editor Nicolás A. Jiménez had a chance to speak with Larry about FDA regulation, state and local prohibitions, and what his own libertarian approach to these issues might be if he ended up taking the helm in Albany.

Music in this episode:

"BossaBossa" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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