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As President Joe Biden prepares to announce his federal ban on menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars, and nicotine in cigarettes in the upcoming days, new research shows that Biden’s core coalition voters in key battleground states – including Georgia – oppose the proposed ban. The study by Brilliant Corners Research comes at a time when Biden is already struggling with base-voter enthusiasm, according to national reports.

The extensive study shows that Biden core coalition voters in Georgia are “largely dissatisfied with the direction of the country. Negative views eclipse positive views by nearly 2 to 1 (64 percent dissatisfied, 33 percent satisfied).” It goes on to say that not only do they oppose the federal bans on menthol and flavored cigars as well as a ban on nicotine in cigarettes, “they are not comfortable with the idea of prohibition as a government approach to tobacco, and the proposed bans raise serious concerns, most significantly around organized crime and children’s access to illegal cigarettes.”

The latest updates indicate that the proposed ban has been submitted for review to the Office of Management and Budget, marking one of the last steps before the final rules are unveiled.

Key findings regarding the Georgia poll results include: “Opinion is initially split over whether more benefit or harm would come from these bans, but this changes after consideration of potential effects. While an initial plurality sees more benefit (49 percent), thirty-nine (39) percent believe more harm would come and twelve (12) percent say they don’t know. However, after hearing about the potential effects of these bans, as well as persuasive messaging about those concerns, this benefit-harm gap turns completely around, with fifty-four (54) percent believing the bans would do more harm than good.”

The report goes on to say “When considering the possible negative outcomes, the most concerning for voters is the possibility of illegal sales on the black market, making cigarettes more accessible for children (74 percent concerned). There are also considerable economic concerns for voters, both in terms of lost tax revenue (74 percent) and job loss (70 percent), but the strongest intensity lies with the risk to kids (50 percent very concerned.”

With the release of the report, the Washington Times highlighted the effect on African American voters. The article states: “Menthol cigarettes are the product of choice for a large majority of black Americans who smoke. According to Stanford Medicine, menthol tobacco products constitute just 39 percent of the total cigarette market but make up 85 percent of the products used by black adult smokers.”

The Georgia poll results concluded by saying that “These bans are clearly not the focus for these core voters, who are intensely worried about a wide variety of issues affecting their daily lives, which we measured on an importance scale of zero to ten. Banning adult use of tobacco (20 percent top box) simply doesn’t compare to their concerns around the economy (85 percent), crime (82 percent), children’s education (82 percent), and myriad other pressing concerns they prefer Congress and the President to be focused on.”

However, in the summary, it was pointed out that “These issues could dampen voter enthusiasm and get in the way of a campaign’s ability to mobilize supporters. Biden core voters believe the government should be focused on a myriad of other, more pressing issues instead of these bans.”