The history of Tobacco

After being grown and smoked by the Native Americans for decades, tobacco was the first crop sold for money by European settlers. Jamestown, the first American colony, grew tobacco as their main source of income. The first commercial, hand-rolled cigarettes were introduced in 1865 by Washington Duke in Raleigh, North Carolina. Along with chewing tobacco, cigarettes were sold to soldiers toward the end of the Civil War.

In 1870, the lowest rate of smokers on record was logged as just 0.4 cigarettes per capita smoking. The rate had jumped up to 8 cigarettes per capita smoking by the next decade. In 1881, with the invention of the cigarette-making machine by James Bonsak, smoking cigarettes became widespread. Bonsak and Washington Duke’s son, James “Buck” Duke, went into business. They built the first cigarette factory, which made 10 million cigarettes in the first year and close to 1 billion cigarettes by the fifth year. The cigarettes were called Duke of Durham and sold in a box with baseball cards. They went on to become the most famous cigarette brand in the world at the time.

By 1900, there were over 4.4 billion cigarettes being sold in the US. As advances in transportation, manufacturing, and packaging were made, the use of cigarettes spread nationwide. The introduction of book matches by Diamond Company made smoking cigarettes easy and portable. The advertising industry on both radio and television were booming. Though there were several tobacco companies making cigarettes, the largest and most dominant was the American Tobacco Company. It was started by two of the pioneers in the cigarette industry, Washington Duke and his son James “Buck” Duke. In the US, 9 out of every 10 cigarettes were sold from this company. Philip Morris introduced the popular Marlboro brand in 1902.

Most cigarettes during this time were sold to men, especially while overseas at war. Of the 300 billion cigarettes produced in 1944, about 75 percent went to service men. During World War II, cigarettes started to be marketed to women as well. In 1954, cigarette consumption peaked with 45 percent of the American population smoking cigarettes.

In the early 1900s, cigarettes had started to become taxed and regulated, and many health warning were issued in articles and journals throughout the world. Everything changed in 1964, when the US Surgeon General released a report linking cigarettes to lung cancer and other health risks. In 1965, warnings labels were required on all cigarette packages, and by 1971, radio and television advertisements were banned.

The 1980s became known as the “tar wars” as cigarettes companies fought to create low tar cigarettes in hopes of reducing the public’s fear. The competition to create cigarettes with less tar and nicotine, as well as improved filters, was aggressive. Over 100 new cigarette brands were introduced. However, with the ban on advertising and regulations on smoking in public, many companies looked toward selling their products overseas. 50 percent of American tobacco sales are now outside of the country, and the rate of smokers in the US has decreased dramatically.

Despite the backlash, tobacco and cigarette companies are still some of the most powerful and profitable. In 1992 alone, the Philip Morris company was the largest tax payer in the US.  In many ways, cigarette companies and government agencies work together, keeping the costs of making cigarettes cheap and the sale of them very profitable.