On the heels of the state’s House of Representatives saying no to a tax increase, the North Dakota Senate did the same thing on Wednesday with S.B. 2322, voting it down by a count of 17-30.

The bill sought to raise the tax on cigars, pipe tobacco and other tobacco products-chewing tobacco and snuff again excluded–from 28% to 50% of the wholesale price. The tax on chewing tobacco would have been increased to $2.10 an ounce and snuff to $0.56 per ounce, while the tax on cigarettes would jump to $2 per pack.

Earlier this week, the Senate Appropriations Committee gave the bill a 10-3 do not pass recommendation.

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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.