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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spin Control

Sunday Spin 2: A bit of trivia

In the Legislature, odd stuff sometimes just comes up. Take last week, when the Senate was voting on a proposal to regulate how vapor products are displayed. 

In describing a “technical” cleanup – code words for boring – Sen. Mike Baumgartner, R-Spokane, said it would make clear that cigars are not included in recent restrictions for displaying vapor products. Which prompted him to explain that the origins of the cigar are unknown, but a ceramic pot found in Guatemala shows a Mayan smoking tobacco. And the Mayan word sikar may be the origin of the word cigar.

That’s fine, said Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Kent, but the bill is about vaping. “I don’t know of any Mayan pots with vapor products.”



Jim Camden
Jim Camden joined The Spokesman-Review in 1981 and retired in 2021. He is currently the political and state government correspondent covering Washington state.

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