Jump to full article: FOX8 WGHP (High Point, NC), 2009-06-09
Author: Angela Rodriguez FOX8 News
Intro: North Carolina's senators are fighting a bill that would allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the sale of tobacco.
A vote in the U.S. Senate on Monday allowed the bill to move forward, and the House already passed a similar version of the legislation, which the president has said he will sign into law.
Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan have been working together for months to create a plan to regulate tobacco without involving the FDA. Their last plan was rejected a few weeks ago, but Burr's office has confirmed they will try once again to create a new agency to regulate the industry.
North Carolina is the nation's top tobacco producer, and the industry employs tens of thousands of the state's residents. The alliance between Republican Sen. Burr and Democrat Sen. Hagan is understandable.
"I think you need to realize here in North Carolina, many of these farms are third-generation farmers. Their families live here. This is their way of life. This is their culture," said Hagan.
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