Tobacco -- an herbaceous plant of the nightshade family cultivated extensively in many parts of the world for its leaves used for smoking and chewing. The plant, believed to have been originally native of the tropical America, is unknown in a truly wild state although it frequently escapes from cultivation. At the period of the Spanish discovery tobacco was used over a large portion of both North and South America. It was used in North America from Panama and the West Indies northward to California and Canada. Smoking was universal. Tobacco pipes of elaborate workmanship have been found in great numbers in the tombs of the Aztecs in Mexico and also in many Indian mounds of North America.
Snuff taking was first devised by Ramon Pane, who was with Columbus on his second voyage in 1494-1496. Tobacco chewing was first observed by Spaniards exploring the coast of South America in 1502. The tobacco plant was first introduced in Europe from Mexico in 1558 by Francisco Fernandes. The habit of smoking tobacco was initialized in Europe by Ralph Lane, the first governor of Virginia and Sir Frances Drake who delivered tobacco and tobacco pipes to Sir Walter Raleigh in England in 1586. Since the 17th century the use of tobacco in various forms has become widespread throughout the world.
Science has found that smoking and second-hand smoke is detrimental to one's health, but is it not a person's choice to smoke or not smoke? It's a freedom we have under our constitution. If we ban smoking we have to go to the source--the curtailment of growing the tobacco plant. Also detrimental to our health is alcohol. Opium, vehicle emissions, fuel and industrial wastes, nuclear waste, reckless drivers, etc. To rid the world of all the causes that are detrimental to our health, do you not go to the source and eliminate them?
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.