Wednesday, September 09 2009
By Rick Rouan (
Youngstown Vindicator)
OHIO --
Tony Marino has moved his business and cut his inventory and overhead by more than half.
The smoking business isn’t what it used to be.
"The government wants this business to basically be zero," said Marino, who owns A.R.M Cigar Co. in Boardman.
In the last several years, state and local government have led a charge to curb smoking. A voter-approved statewide smoking ban in 2007 has hurt business, and a national tax to fund children’s health care has put a dent in smoke-shop revenue, local owners have said.
Ban, tax hurting cigar-shop owners continues at vindy.com...