On June 22nd, President Obama signed into law the Family Smoking Prevention and Control Act, a very nanny-state sort of assault on smokers.  One of the strangest elements of the act is the banning of flavored cigarettes, including cloves and fruity things, but excluding menthol.  This can't come as much of a surprise, as apparently Philip-Morris was one of the big corporate backers of the new law.  It's a big law, and there's a lot to sort through, but the odd paragraph in question is Section 907.a.1.A, which reads:

Beginning 3 months after the date of enactment of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control 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.

Oddly, the law says nothing about cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, that funny new Camel dissolving tobacco stuff, or chew.  Just cigarettes.  Why wouldn't menthol be included?  That's surely a more popular flavor among underage smokers than any other fruit flavors.  Well, if you're a clove smoker, now's the time to rush out and stock up, because September 22nd is approaching, and after that date it'll be illegal for shops to sell the things.