A measure aimed at curbing youth smoking and vaping will now also legalize what one Republican insisted are “super popular, super cool” cigar lounges.
On a 21-19 vote, the Alaska House on Tuesday approved a change to Senate Bill 24 that would legalize new cigar lounges in Alaska for the first time since Alaska approved its smoke-free workplace law in 2017. Several Republican men spoke breathlessly about their excitement about having a place to enjoy “premium cigar culture.”
“Frankly, some adults just want a nice, quiet place to go enjoy a nice premium cigar,” said amendment sponsor Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake. “There are these types of clubs all over the United States, from Washington D.C., to New York City, to Chicago, all over the United States. … I’ve been to many of them. Good place to sit down, just enjoy a quiet smoke. Good place to negotiate.”
The measure began as an effort to curb youth use of nicotine, raising the age of tobacco possession to 21 to align with federal law and extending tobacco taxes to vapes, which had previously escaped taxation in the state. It’d also lower, but not eliminate penalties for minors caught with tobacco, slapping them with a $100 fine but no criminal charges.
A measure that proposed a steeper tax on vapes was vetoed by Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy in 2022, part of his blanket opposition to taxing anything.
Alaska has a handful of cigar lounges that were grandfathered in before lawmakers adopted the smoke-free workplace law nearly a decade ago. It’d require businesses to ensure cigar smoke doesn’t travel to other businesses. While it’d bar such places from allowing cigarettes, it also doesn’t explicitly disallow serving alcohol at a cigar lounge.
For many Republicans, it was about as happy as they’ve been all session.
“I spent my 20s in politics, and who knows, if this amendment would pass, I may turn my 30s into a cigar connoisseur,” said Anchorage Republican Rep. David Nelson.
“I have been to many of those states in the Lower 48, and so let’s not dictate to business what they can or can’t do,” said Rep. Garrett Nelson, R-Wasilla. “And I am an outlier, because when we do smoke cigars, I suck that magic down. I’m not a puffer.”
“I am highly supportive of this amendment, and I think it’s time to really take Alaska in a way that, you know, looks at more freedom and more choice for those who live here,” said Rep. Frank Tomaszewski, D-Fairbanks.
Several legislators complained mightily that on-site cannabis consumption is currently allowed (though mostly for edibles or outdoors), complaining that the on-site cannabis was allowed to run rampant but not cigar lounges, which Fairbanks Republican Rep. Will Stapp insisted are “super popular, super cool.”
The amendment passed 21-19; HB 24 passed the House 24-16; the bill returned to the Senate, where it passed 15-5; and now heads to the governor’s desk for consideration.
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Bluesky.
