David Funderburk: “Bill Clinton's assault on tobacco has upset farmers all across my district in eastern North Carolina. Clinton's proposal…”

“Bill Clinton's assault on tobacco has upset farmers all across my district in eastern North Carolina. Clinton's proposal by definition has made every tobacco grower, warehouseman and wholesaler a drug dealer and every smoker a drug user. One tobacco farmer asked me to deliver a message to the politically correct in Washington, DC. He said, Tell the President that I am not a drug dealer, nor is anyone else in the tobacco community. In fact, there are probably fewer drug users among all tobacco growers than there are on the White House staff. Another tobacco farmer asked me to urge Clinton to wage war on illegal drugs, not tobacco farmers. I traveled across my district visiting several tobacco farms and auction warehouses, where hard-working farmers believe Clinton decided to deflect criticism of the staggering increases in illegal teenage drug use by attacking tobacco. Mr. Speaker, the farmers of North Carolina are angry. Washington is treating them like criminals. They are taxpaying, law-abiding citizens who believe the President should keep the FDA off the farm and out of NASCAR racing.”