Yes, clove cigarettes are pretty much illegal to sell in the United States. And right now, you must be asking this question because at some point in time, yes, clove cigarettes used to be legal, but things are much different now. It could very well be that you’re also asking this question because there are some clove products that are pretty much okay to sell in the country, and that’s why the question of clove cigarettes came to your mind, right?
First Things First: What Are Clove Cigarettes?
Around the world, people call clove cigarettes kreteks. These are a type of cigarette that comes from Indonesia, which contains a blend of tobacco, dried clove buds, and clove oil. Even though cloves are the main flavor, most kreteks actually contain more tobacco than cloves.
It is the cloves that give these cigarettes a sweet and spicy flavor, which is why they are very different from regular cigarettes.
Due to this flavor, quite a few people thought that clove cigarettes were more natural or less harmful. This is a misconception. Clove cigarettes are still tobacco products and have the same health dangers as regular cigarettes.
Why Did Clove Cigarettes Become Popular in the U.S.?
Clove cigarettes were popular in America in the 1980s and early 2000s. Usually, teenagers and young adults were the ones who smoked them. The smoke was smoother, and they smelled good, so to the users, they were less harsh than regular cigarettes.
This led to people who tried smoking feeling more attracted to clove cigarettes. Health care professionals were alarmed that the flavored cigarettes were a kind of lure for the young to start smoking and become addicted to nicotine.
This is why such worries were very influential in what came next.
The 2009 Law That Changed Everything
Let’s first talk about the Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.
Back in 2009 the U.S. Congress enacted the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act which, among other things, gave the Food and Drug Administration new powers to oversee tobacco products.
One of the most important features of this legislation was a prohibition on cigarettes that contained added flavors, with the exception of tobacco. Thus, the ban effectively covered fruits and berries like cherry, as well as spices of the sorts of clove, vanilla, and chocolate. The rationale for this was to make sure that the kids and teenagers do not get attracted to smoking through the lure of flavored cigarettes.
Since clove cigarettes are basically cigarette flavored with the addition of clove, the law recognized these as part of the flavor ban. From then on, it has been against the law to produce, sell or distribute clove cigarettes in any of the US States.
Why Are Menthol Cigarettes Still Legal?
This is the part where a lot of people get confused. Menthol is a kind of flavor, but menthol cigarettes weren’t banned along with the other flavored cigarettes in 2009.
Essentially, the major justification was that at the time, menthol cigarettes were so commonly used throughout the US that it was a big deal. This choice sparked a lot of discussion and criticism, but the legislation was not changed. Therefore, clove cigarettes were prohibited whereas menthol ones were still kept legal.
Is It Illegal to Own or Smoke Clove Cigarettes?
No, there is nothing wrong with possessing or smoking clove cigarettes in the United States.
The law only addresses the issues of production, sales, and distribution of such products. But shops are not allowed to sell them, and any clove cigarettes coming into the country can be confiscated by U.S. Customs.
