US Congressmen criticize Canadian Tobacco Regulation
Published on June 22, 2009 8:36 AM
An amendment to Tobacco Regulation Act introduced to Canada’s Parliament proposes to implement a ban on cigarettes and other tobacco-containing products with flavoring variations like cherry, apple and chocolate citing concerns such flavorings attract minors to cigarettes.
Meanwhile, US Congressmen and tobacco industry advocates state the latter legislation will factually lock the exportations of burley tobacco brands a special sort of light thin-leaved tobacco usually grown in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. Burley tobacco includes flavoring components, which conceal tobacco’s real taste. Tobacco companies argue that smokers do not detect fruit flavoring in burley tobacco and the taste differs from commonly-know candy cigarettes as “Chocolate Mocha” or “Twista Lime”
Kentucky Congressmen have issued a collective letter to Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State appealing to attempt challenging the proposal that they name as “unfair attack” on Kentucky tobacco growers as well as growers of burley tobacco from other states.
According to Kentucky Senators, the issue involving US tobacco growers should be regarded as attention-demanding as US tobacco growers could be deeply hurt under the latter bill.
However, the congressmen failed to receive an official response until the current moment.
Sen. Ed Whitfield, a republican from Kentucky declared the Canadian legislation would severely damage family-owned business of tobacco growers that existed for decades and even centuries. In addition it violates trade agreements between Canada and the United States.
According to the Tobacco Growers Association 85 percent of all burley tobacco cropped across the country is selling abroad.
Tennessee senator Lincoln Davis wrote a letter to Canadian minister of trade about his concerns that the pending ordinance would infringe World Trade Organization policy, and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Canadian Department of International Trade spokesperson said that the proposed restriction is based on the public health concerns of the government, as they seek to reduce smoking rates by all the possible means, exactly as their American colleagues did last week by approving the tobacco regulation act.
The Tobacco Growers Association chairman Ronald Charles stated they oppose the Canadian legislation amid the evidence that it would practically destroy the sales of the major part of burley tobacco crop.
He said burley tobacco is barely detectable and therefore it could not lure minors to cigarettes.
The US Senate recently approved the law providing the Food and Drug Administration with the power to control tobacco products. The legislation prohibit fruit flavorings, but not burley tobacco.
