WTO Dents U.S. Ban on Clove Cigarettes

The World Trade Organization on Wednesday dealt a blow to a U.S. law barring the sale of clove-flavored cigarettes to discourage children from smoking, saying it was unfair to Indonesia because menthol cigarettes can still be sold in the United States. Reuters reported that Nkenge Harmon, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, observed that, “The United States is very disappointed with the outcome of this dispute. The ban on cigarettes with flavors is part of landmark U.S. legislation to combat the public health crisis caused by tobacco products.” Indonesia, the world’s top producer of clove cigarettes and the source of the vast majority of those smoked in the United States, brought the World Trade Organization case in April 2010.