SOURCE:  CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/7/19

Defending a product that kills 1,300 people a day might seem like a throwback Washington kind of thing, but we have to give U.S. Sen. Richard Burr some credit: He’s finding some new, if weird, ways to defend the cigarette industry. Last week, the North Carolina Republican took to the Senate floor to speak up for menthol cigarettes, which face a new threat from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA chief Scott Gottlieb announced in November that his agency would attempt to ban the products, which are less harsh than regular cigarettes and encourage children to start lighting up.

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