American Industry Overview: Tobacco
Industry Snapshot
This industry is composed of small U.S. farms that grow and sell tobacco to cigarette companies and other tobacco product retailers. In 2005, consumers spent $88.7 billion on tobacco – a significant increase from the 2000 total of $77.7 billion, though down slightly from the 2002 total of $89.1 billion – and the farm value of U.S. tobacco crops was approximately $1.07 billion (down from the 2003 total of nearly $1.6 billion), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The links between tobacco and several serious diseases, such as cancer and emphysema, first...