Tobacco History

Tobacco has made it after a long journey like what it is stated in the tobacco history. According to history, this plant and products that use this plant has been around since 6,000 BC.

It previously could only be found in the Americas.

According to tobacco history, Columbus was warmly welcomed by the tribes of native American in 1492. They brought some gifts such as spears, food, fruits, and others.

One of them was dried tobacco leaves. Since the dried leaves were not edible and it gave a distinct smell, those leaves were thrown overboard.

Meanwhile, the native Americans had been smoking those leaves for more than 2 millennia. Back then, it was used for religious and medicinal purposes.

Columbus, however, soon realized that those dried leaves were a prized belonging among natives. They bartered tobacco leaves that had been dried for other possessions or simply bestowed it as a gift.

The first Europeans who observed smoking were Luis de Torres and Rodrigo de Jerez. Cuba made Jerez to become a staunch smoker and he brought the habit back to Spain with him.

Proliferation of Cigarettes

Cigarettes became very popular during the World War. Tobacco companies distributed a million packs of cigarettes to the soldier who worked at the front lines.

It simply increased the number of addicted users back then. In 1920, tobacco companies started to market their products to women.

They feminized the habit by creating brand such as “Mild as May” so it appeared more appealing to females.

Tobacco Today

Today, tobacco and related products are more regulated. Companies should deal with countless lawsuits and now forced to put a clear statement on their products about the health effects of cigarettes and other related products.

Besides, tobacco advertising is strictly limited and severely regulated. They now also move to vape, e-cigar, and even shisha or any other tobacco products.

Still, the companies make billions of dollars every year for their revenue. Today, at least there are 1 billion tobacco smokers around the world.

The damage caused by smoking tobacco costs trillion dollars of health expenses. On the other hand, it also damages the environment while it has spread to teenagers and young adults no matter how educated they are about tobacco and its bad effects.

When in tobacco history the leaves were used for medical purposes, nowadays it has become something that causes users to get immediate medical help and ruin the air quality.