Dichotomy between U.S. Tobacco Export Policy and Antismoking Initiatives

摘要

U.S cigarette companies had tried for many years to expand their sales to Japan,South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand, whose markets were substantially closed to cigarette imports. Smoking is legal in these countries, however, imports were kept out by high tariffs, discriminatory taxes, and discriminatory marketing and distribution restrictions. Domestic demand was largely satisfied by cigarettes produced by national monopolies. After generally unsuccessful efforts to gain access to those markets, the U.S. cigarette companies sought the assistance of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) under section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, in eliminating the unfair trade barriers to U.S cigarette exports.