Clove Cigarettes - Banned In U.S

The fourth largest tobacco company in Indonesia is "PT HM Sampoerna Tbk." Once owned entirely by the Sampoerna family it is, today, 98% owned by Phillip Morris International.

It was Mr. Sampoerna's great gandfather who invented the "clove" cigarette in the early 20th Century, in Japan.

All Brands are now banned. If you're a clove cigarette smoker the United States has made all clove cigarettes illegal, chosen as the first, of what is said to be many targets used to hook children into the smoking habit.  Clove cigarettes amount to less than one percent of all tobacco sales in the U.S.

However, Djarum, and other Indonesian manufacturers still sell clove cigars. Cigars are exempt. Clove cigars have been available for four or five years, and prossibly longer."

The news-medias are reporting that the clove cigars are being made to circumvent the law. This statement by the news media is misleading, and false. The cigars had been available along side the cigarettes, which are now banned, leaving only the cigars for sale.

I can't help wonder why the FDA is going after the small sales clove cigarette industry and continues to allow the American tobacco companies to add many, many chemicals to be infused into American made cigarettes, and never even lift an eyebrow?

Summary of new Flavored Cigarette Ban

Flavored Tobacco

On September 22, 2009 a ban on cigarettes containing certain characterizing flavors went into effect. The ban, authorized by the new Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, is part of a national effort by FDA to reduce smoking in America.

FDA’s ban on candy and fruit-flavored cigarettes highlights the importance of reducing the number of children who start to smoke, and who become addicted to dangerous tobacco products. FDA is also examining options for regulating both menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco products other than cigarettes.

According to the act

…a cigarette or any of its component parts (including the tobacco, filter, or paper) shall not contain, as a constituent (including a smoke constituent) or additive, an artificial or natural flavor (other than tobacco or menthol) or an herb or spice, including strawberry, grape, orange, clove, cinnamon, pineapple, vanilla, coconut, licorice, cocoa, chocolate, cherry, or coffee, that is a characterizing flavor of the tobacco product or tobacco smoke

Any company who continues to make, ship or sell such products may be subject to FDA enforcement actions. You are encouraged to report any company that sells cigarettes with these certain characterizing flavors.

So, you can no longer buy clove cigarettes.  Reinvention has rapidly brought clove cigarettes back with a brand new name, cigars! The new clove-cigars are replacing the, now, banned clove-cigarettes. And, if you didn't look real close you'll miss the difference! To use Djarum, as an example, Dijarum (little) Cigars come in the old-familar 12 pack, and the size of the cigar is the same as the old cigarette, except its wrapped in tobacco-leaf rather than paper. And, they tast just as they always have.

It's amazing how fast the industry re-invented itself. Considering the manufacturers are all in Indonesia I was surprised at the fast turn around on restocking -- 5 days after the law changed the cigars were on the shelf.

And, one other curious point, menthol cigarettes are much closer to "flavored" than the mixed cigarette of clove and tobacco. But, menthol cigarettes remained legal, exempt from this new law.

You don't think it might have been one of those back-room-deals between our government and America's cigarette manufacturers?

Read full factual information regarding this new law

This article is Copyright 2010 - 2012 by Pink Taxi Communications - XCM & Joseph E Howard

The Djarum picture used as example is courtesy of Djarum