Some themes discussed at HSC sessions have been recurring since the beginning. One such is the topic of tobacco based products which is current with questions over the classification of electronic cigarettes.
At HSC 2 the question arose as to whether or not ‘Beedies’ are to be classified as cheroots or cigarillos (Heading 2402.10), other manufactured tobacco (2403.99) or cigarettes (2402.20). Some delegates argued that as beedies do not have a cylindrical shape, contain rough cut tobacco and were not wrapped in paper they should not be classified as cigarettes. On the other hand other delegates suggested that as beedies are smoked as cigarettes, classified as cigarettes in the Dictionary of Tobacco Terminology and could be wrapped otherwise than in paper they should be classified as paper.
Sometimes a cigar may just be a cigar, but Beedies are cigarettes.