This bill comes after a 2015 Human Rights Watch study that allegedly interviewed 33 children that worked in North Carolina tobacco farms. This study found that those children that worked in tobacco farms worked for up to 50-60 hours each week; the children experienced nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, dizziness, and sleep issues; they worked in hot conditions and took on jobs such as harvesting tobacco plants; and were exposed to pesticides that contained neurotoxins.
Sen. Durbin commented: “Big Tobacco has developed a business model that is focused mainly on addicting young children to their deadly products. And kids as young as 12 can be recruited to work on tobacco farms where they are exposed to serious health risks like nicotine poisoning and other long-term health effects. Putting a stop to this labor practice is common sense and I’m hopeful Congress can finally act to protect these kids before it’s too late,” commented Durbin.
Co-sponsors of the Children Don’t Belong on Tobacco Farms Act include Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Jack Reed (D-RI).
