The new Netflix series “Gladis Kretek” introduces a western audience to Indonesia’s kretek industry. Clove cigarettes are part of Indonesian culture and despite the considerable health risks associated with smoking kretek, Indonesians are in no hurry to curb their smoking habits. The secret ingredient in kretek is the clove, a spice which fueled western colonization and trade wars. Today transnational tobacco companies like Philip Morris and Japan Tobacco compete with Indonesia’s cottage industry of local small-scale manufacturers. The powerful kretek lobby has successfully blocked Indonesia from joining the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
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