out of the humidor

Dear Marvin, I received my latest copy of Cigar Aficionado the same day I finished Daniel Okrent’s 2010 book, Last Call, which is a particularly well-written and well-researched history of Prohibition—its causes, consequences and lessons. Okrent concludes his fine work by asserting, “In almost every respect imaginable, Prohibition was a failure. It encouraged criminality and institutionalized hypocrisy. It deprived the government of revenue, stripped the gears of the political system, and imposed profound limitations on individual rights. It fostered a culture of bribery, blackmail and official corruption.” The parallels between Prohibition and your excellent op-ed “The Lunacy of Anti-Smoking Regulations” [Editors’ Note, July/August 2024] are as numerous as they are ominous, and if taken to the extreme—outright Prohibition—would result in the same consequences Okrent identifies. One of the pleasures of being an adult…