American farmers are still waiting for answers from Vice President Kamala Harris about the Biden administration’s policies that could harm their livelihoods.

President Joe Biden’s administration had planned to ban menthol cigarettes just before April 2024, until concerns arose that such a step could have negative political repercussions. Since then, the administration has paused progress on the ban, but the Food and Drug Administration’s top tobacco official said: shown They are still planning to implement that rule. Harris has not taken a position on the issue, but North Carolina tobacco farmers interviewed by The Daily Caller feared what would happen to their farms if the vice president enforced the ban. I am doing it.

“It would destroy one of North Carolina’s largest industries and destroy thousands of American jobs and businesses. It would be devastating to many hardworking families, not only in North Carolina but in other states. “It’s going to have a huge impact,” North Carolina tobacco farmer Linwood Vick told the Caller.

“President Biden and Vice President Harris have been stalling us on this proposed ban for years, but now the Democratic presidential nominee has not said a word about it. “I’m frustrated by this dynamic, and I’m worried about my family’s business, the many people employed in this industry, and what the future holds for North Carolina if the menthol ban goes into effect,” Vick continued. Ta.

Harris has not taken a position on a menthol ban since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, but the vice president has previously expressed support for a menthol ban. As California Attorney General in 2013, Harris signed on Letter to FDA asking for a ban on e-cigarettes. In 2018, while a U.S. senator, Harris co-signed a letter urging the FDA commissioner to move forward with a ban on flavored tobacco products and menthol.

“Many farmers are concerned that [a Harris] The government will try to push for something like this, and if it passes, many farmers say they will quit farming altogether, because in our region tobacco is the only thing that keeps them alive. Because it’s a thing. ” Archie Griffin, a third-generation North Carolina tobacco farmer, told the Caller.

Ray Sterling, general counsel for the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, said that aside from losing their jobs altogether, such a ban, or lack of it, is on the minds of farmers preparing for next harvest season. He said it is being considered.

“[A farmer] In December, before the next crop year, planting decisions need to be made, fertilizers reserved, and supplies purchased many times over. And as we approach fall, many farmers are starting to think about what they will grow next year. This can have a huge impact on demand, and at the very least it can be disruptive. Then everyone might have to wait and see,” Sterling explained.

“Farmers are no different from other business owners. They want reliability, certainty and predictability. That’s missing here,” he added.

Within North Carolina, 822 tobacco farms generate $36 billion in output and add $31 billion to the state’s GDP. According to to the John Locke Foundation. These farms cost about $370 million and employ about 5,000 workers.

According to a report by the John Locke Foundation, North Carolina’s agricultural wholesale industry generates $15.3 billion in revenue, contributes $9 billion to the state’s GDP and sustains 4,500 jobs.

As the numbers show, and as Griffin explained to callers, the impact of tobacco farms in the state goes beyond the industry.

“ITaxes, economic impacts on farmers and the tobacco industry, and manufacturing impacts will also be considered. Just to give you an idea, data shows that the menthol industry is estimated to be worth $39 billion each year. “Even if a menthol ban is imposed on these products, consumers will not completely stop smoking or stop consuming the products,” Griffin explained.

“They’re going to switch to alternatives or they’re going to start compounding themselves with menthol. If they don’t have access to that menthol product, they’re going to go to smuggled, illegally traded products, and if they go to that product, they’re going to start drugging themselves with menthol. are looking at the loss of income,” he added.

It’s stupid to ban menthol, but we banned flavored cigarettes years ago and Democrats wanted to stop white goth kids from smoking cloves, but it pissed off black voters. Menthol was specifically exempted because we didn’t want it to become a problem. https://t.co/YiSpe9fXXY

— PoIiMath (@politicalmath) November 10, 2023

Former President Donald Trump and Harris are in a close race in North Carolina. According to the Washington Post public opinion pollFifty percent of state voters support Trump and 48% support Harris. The poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points and surveyed 1,001 North Carolinians.

And in North Carolina, with 16 electoral votes at stake, farmers told the Caller that the impact of a potential menthol ban is being considered by voters.

“I’ll tell you that people are paying attention, and I think there’s a reason for that,” Sterling told the Caller. “You could just say, ‘Yes, this is going to be a problem,’ but let me tell you why. Especially in the agricultural world today, all the things we’ve seen in terms of inflation, especially food prices. They’re really going up against the wall. None of that increase is impacting the farm.”

When the administration was considering the rule in October 2023, former law enforcement experts and Republican strategists told Caller it could be a big loss for Biden with Black voters. (Related: ‘Very, very important’: Quiet new move could spell disaster for Biden with Black voters)

Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in 2021 that rule It would “address the health disparities experienced by people of color, low-income people, and LGBTQ+ people who are far more likely to use these tobacco products.” Health experts argue that menthol cigarettes need to be banned because they disproportionately harm Black Americans, and that a ban could save a significant number of lives.

The Biden-Harris administration’s proposed rule aims to equalize health outcomes across racial groups, noting that the rule would “reduce tobacco-related health disparities and promote health equity.” This is expressed in a euphemism.

The War on Drugs: Disproportionally Affects Minorities and is the Leading Cause of Mass Incarceration in the United States

US Government:
Not only will we not decriminalize drugs, we will also ban menthol cigarettes

— Abby (@abby4thepeople) April 30, 2021

“I think the black community and the Latino community.” [the Biden-Harris campaign] Major Neil Franklin, a law enforcement veteran, believes it’s a similar scenario to the 1980s crime bill, mainly because people just aren’t paying attention to what could potentially happen. , there is a risk of losing votes from there.” Maryland State Police and Baltimore Police told Caller in 2023.

“The people who are not happy with this policy are adults, black adults. Why take away the ability from them to use menthol cigarettes? It’s clear that this is focused on the black community, and they “These are adults who know the dangers of smoking, so why is the government still trying to be their parents?” he added.

Harris faces questions about her policy proposals and flip-flopping amid a close race. In some parts Topicsthe Harris campaign has been completely silent about the vice president’s position.

Harris’ campaign responded to Daily Caller questions about where the vice president stands on the menthol ban and whether she would propose one if elected in November. Did not answer. The vice president recently said he couldn’t think of anything President Biden would do differently than he has over the past four years. (RELATED: Harris tells ‘The View’ there was nothing she would do differently than Joe Biden)

“It impacts the tobacco state because it’s right in the heartland,” Rich Marianos, former deputy director of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told the Caller. “You’re working on an industry that benefits states, especially Kentucky, Virginia and North Carolina. Since the history of this country, tobacco farmers have been a big part of the fabric of communities. Taking away a large part of their production and taking away their ability to farm will have a domino effect.”