For such a well-known tobacco producing country such as Cuba, the idea of anti-tobacco legislation may seem counter intuitive, but that’s exactly what the island nation has in its sights.

Numerous media outlets, including the Havana Times, report that authorities in the country of just over 11 million people are looking at strengthening anti-smoking regulations.

Since 2005, the country has prohibited smoking is enclosed public spaces, public transportation, educational, health and sporting institutions, though enforcement has been lax since its passage. Despite those rules, estimates suggest that approximately 50% of the population is exposed to second-hand smoke.

The Havana Times reports that the current legislation will “include restrictions on the promotion and sponsoring of tobacco products in the country, prohibit their sale at health, educational and sporting institutions and the sale of single units or packages with less than 20 cigarettes,” as well as raising the prices of tobacco products.

Cigarettes will also be required to include graphic warning labels if the legislation passes.

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Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.