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Tobacco is a commodity product similar in economic terms to foodstuffs in that the price is set by the fact that crop yeilds vary depending on local weather conditions. The price varies by specific species grown, the total quantity on the market ready for sale, the area where it was grown, the health of the plants, and other characteristics individual to product quality.
For a history of how tobacco has been grown and marketed, see the wiki articles on tobacco, smoking, and similar topics.
The tobacco industry generally refers to the companies involved in the manufacture of cigarettes, cigars, snuff, and pipe tobacco. This industry is heavily dominated by giant firms and state-owned tobacco monopolies. Due to historical growing areas, many of these companies are concentrated in the southern United States (both Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina and Winston-Salem, North Carolina North Carolina). Other companies are based around the world.
The tobacco industry in the United States has suffered greatly since the mid-1990's, when it was successfully sued by several US states. The suits claimed that tobacco causes cancer, that companies in the industry knew this, and that they deliberately understated the significance of their findings, contributing to the illness and death of many citizens in those states.
The industry was found to have decades of internal memos confirming in detail that tobacco (which contains nicotine) is both addictive and carcinogenIn pathology, a carcinogen is any substance or agent that promotes cancer. Carcinogens are also often, but not necessarily, mutagens or teratogens. Carcinogens cause cancer by altering DNA in cells, interfering with normal biological processes. Usually ceic (cancer-causing).
The suit resulted in a large cash settlement being paid by a group of tobacco companies to the states that sued. Further, since the suit was settled, other individuals have come forth, in class actionIn law a class action is a practical procedural device in litigation for determining the rights of and remedies, if any, for large numbers of people who have in common questions of law and fact. Class Actions in the United States Class Action lawsuits may lawsuitA lawsuit is a civil action brought before a court in order to recover a right, obtain damages for an injury, obtain an injunction to prevent an injury, or obtain a declaratory judgment to prevent future legal disputes. It usually involves dispute resoluts, claiming individual damages. New suits of this type will probably continue indefinitely.
Since the settlement is a heavy tax on the profits of the tobacco industry in the US, and further settlements being made only add to the financial burden of these companies, it is debatable if the industry has a money-producing long term outlook.
Illicit cigarette smuggling has emerged in some states where smoking bans and cigarette taxes are high.
There are two entrenched interests that have opinions about the tobacco industry: (a) participants in the industry, and (b) people affected by the deaths attributable to tobacco use. These interests conflict, and since they involve large amounts of money, long-held (historically) belief systems, and the premature deaths of loved family members.
Participants in the industry argue that commercial tobacco production is a vital part of the American and world economy. Thousands of farmers in the United States, alone, make their living from raising tobacco leaves for use by the industry. It is estimated that the tobacco industry contributes billions of dollars in tax revenue to the federal government every year.
On May 11May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). There are 234 days remaining. Events 330 Byzantium is renamed Constantinople during a dedication ceremony. 1502 Christopher Columbus leaves for his fourth and final voyagth, 20042004 is a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 2004 calendar), and has also been designated the: International Year of Rice International Year to Commemorate the Struggle against Slavery and its Abolition Elections are to be held in 73 co, the US became the 108th country to sign the World Health OrganizationFor other meanings of the acronym 'WHO', see WHO (disambiguation : Please note ''Sections of this article have been edited by a user in arbitration. The relevance of those sections is controversial but they may remain whilst the arbitration is in process's Global Treaty on Tobacco Control. This treaty places broad restrictions on the sale, advertising, shipment, and taxation of tobacco products. The US has not yet ratified this treaty in its senate, and does not yet have a schedule for doing so.
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