In the U.S., children under the age of 18 are legally barred from purchasing cigarettes or other tobacco products. But they are allowed to harvest tobacco on farms.

Despite a worldwide decline in production, tobacco remains North Carolina’s most valuable crop. In 2017, the total value of tobacco produced in the state was just under $725 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Fair Labor Standards Act, which governs child labor, makes exceptions to child labor laws for small farms and allows hires as young as 12 for larger ones. During tobacco picking season, some of the smaller farms in North Carolina will hire kids as young as 7 years old, says Melissa Bailey Castillo, outreach coordinator at the Kinston Community Health Center in Kinston, N.C.

Tobacco farmers say they need the extra labor, especially during harvest season, and in rural North Carolina, kids say they need to work to help support their families, according to a study by Human Rights Watch.