Many people are wondering why Kamala Harris on various subjects that could affect them depending on her policies should she be elected. There is no need to wonder anymore because I have the answer. She refuses to comment on any of her policies that would cause havoc on a large number of voters, and if you wonder why she has flip-flopped on so many of her previous statements, I can assure you she will flip-flop back if she is elected.
One such policy is the banning of menthol cigarettes. Hundreds of tobacco growers are concerned that she will immediately ban all menthol products, putting them out of business and leaving 5,000 people out of work. Within North Carolina, 822 tobacco farms produce $36 billion of output and add $31 billion to state GDP. That’s a lot of money and remember, those losses will occur every year menthol is banned. You could say the farmers could just sell regular tobacco but cigarette companies now have contracts with farmers with no shortage of supply.
Linwood Vick, a tobacco farmer in North Carolina said:
“It would destroy one of North Carolina’s biggest industries and destroy thousands of American jobs and businesses. It would have a devastating impact on many hard-working families not only in North Carolina but in other states too.”
“President Biden and VP Harris have put us in limbo for years with this proposed ban, and now, as the Democratic presidential candidate, she hasn’t said a word about it. I’m frustrated by the political games, and I’m worried about our family’s business, the many people this industry employs, and what the future of North Carolina would look like if a menthol ban was put in place.”
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELAmerican farmers are still waiting for answers from Vice President Kamala Harris on a Biden administration policy that could have detrimental effects to their livelihood.
President Joe Biden’s administration was set to ban menthol cigarettes just before April 2024, until concerns arose that such a move could have negative political implications. The administration has since paused progress on the ban, though the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) top tobacco official has indicated that they are still planning to implement the rule. While Harris has not clarified where she stands on the issue, tobacco farmers in North Carolina, who the Daily Caller spoke to, are worried about what could happen to their farms if the vice president goes through with the ban.
Though Harris has not clarified her position on a menthol ban since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, the vice president has previously shown support for one. As California Attorney General in 2013, Harris signed onto a letter to the FDA pressing them to ban e-cigarettes. In 2018, while a U.S. senator, Harris co-signed a letter urging the FDA director to move forward with a ban on flavored tobacco products and menthol.
“A lot of farmers are worried that [a Harris] administration will try and push something like this, and if it does, if it is passed, a lot of farmers have said that they would just quit farming altogether, because tobacco is really the only thing that keeps them alive when in our area,” Archie Griffin, a third-generation tobacco farmer in North Carolina, told the Caller.
Aside from losing their jobs completely, Ray Starling, general counsel of the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, told the Caller that such a ban, or lack of clarity on one, is on farmers’ minds as they prepare for the next crop season.
“[A farmer] has to make planting decisions and reserve fertilizer and buy supplies many times in December prior to the next crop year. And so as we’re entering fall, many farmers are starting to think about what they’re going to grow next year. This could have a massive impact on demand, if nothing else, it could be disruptive. It could make everybody play wait and see,” Sterling explained.
#MentholBanDebate #TobaccoFarmersSpeak #KamalaHarris2024
