PJ’s Smoke Shack in Maple Valley forced to close due to new federal legislation

Maple Valley's PJ Smoke Shack has been forced to close due to an unusual provision within the new federal highway bill that threatens so-called roll your own (RYO) tobacco businesses.

By TJ Martinell • July 18, 2012 2:14 pm
A sign posted outside PJ's Smoke Shack.
A sign posted outside PJ's Smoke Shack.

Editor’s note: An extended version of this story will appear in the Reporter’s upcoming July 27 issue.

Maple Valley’s PJ Smoke Shack has been forced to close due to an unusual provision within the new federal highway bill that threatens roll your own (RYO) tobacco businesses.

PJ’s Smoke Shack, located at 23714 222nd Pl. S.E, is one of several thousand businesses in the country that operate RYO machines, which customers use to roll tobacco into empty paper shells.

The machines are roughly the size of an ATM.

As part of the highway bill that was signed into law July 6, an unrelated provision, Section 100122, broadened the definition of a tobacco manufacturer to include RYO businesses, which makes them subject to the same federal excise taxes and regulations.