Why Are Cuban Cigars Illegal?

[Daphne Tressa]

Cuban cigars have long had a reputation as being the best , but if American cigar connoisseurs want to enjoy them, they can only do so illegally Cuban cigars are banned in the United States.

The ban dates back to February 1962, when President John F. Kennedy established a strict trade embargo on all imports from Cuba in order to take a stand against and weaken Fidel Castro's communist regime. Cuba is still a totalitarian communist state , so the embargo remains.

Those attempting to get around the ban by buying the cigars in Canada, Mexico or the United Kingdom should be benefits of cigar smoking aware that the ban also makes it illegal for U.S. travelers to bring back Cuban-origin tobacco products that they bought anywhere. The same ban applies to Cuban cigars that were given to you as a cigar vs cigarette present during your trip. The cost of getting caught trying to smuggle a Cuban cigar through U.S. customs makes the cigars less desirable you can be fined up to $55,000.