Tobacco Companies
Alec Usseglio
ENC 1101
Monica Vera
4 December 2011 Cigarettes Should be Made Illegal Tobacco has been in America for nearly 8000 years. It started being cultivated and used for pleasure around 2000 years ago. (Cancer Council) People have been using it for a very long time. That means that the past 2000 years, it has been causing hundreds-of-thousands of deaths. Tobacco is widely known for its cancer-causing ways. The assumption could be made that people would stray away from it. The reality is that people constantly use tobacco products. In 2006, consumers spent $90 billion on tobacco products. (CDC) It’s baffling to know that an absurd amount of money like that is spent on something kills you. Tobacco has been in the world for over 2.5 million years. It has been around longer than humans. It was found in a small block of fossilized tobacco in the Maranon river basin in northeastern Peru. It wasn’t until about 6000 BCE, that the tobacco plant started growing in the Americas. Then in 1 BCE, tobacco started being used in a variety of ways. It was used for smoking, chewing, and in hallucinogenic enemas (by the Peruvian Aguaruna aboriginals). (Borio) In the seventeenth century, tobacco became a very popular crop. It was wanted everywhere around the world. In certain countries, it was strongly desired. In others, it was despised. It was abolished in Turkey because Ibrahim Pecevi wrote, “"Puffing in each other 's faces, they made the streets and markets stink.” (Borio) In 1672, in Massachusetts, there was a law passed that stated, “No man shall take any tobacco within 20 poles of any house not near any barn, hay cock, etc. (for prevention of fires) nor in any inn, except in a private room so that none take offense.” (Borio) In 1832, an Egyptian artilleryman invented cigarettes during the Siege of Acre. He and a few other people were in charge of the cannons. After the battle was over, the crew was awarded a bag of tobacco.
ENC 1101
Monica Vera
4 December 2011 Cigarettes Should be Made Illegal Tobacco has been in America for nearly 8000 years. It started being cultivated and used for pleasure around 2000 years ago. (Cancer Council) People have been using it for a very long time. That means that the past 2000 years, it has been causing hundreds-of-thousands of deaths. Tobacco is widely known for its cancer-causing ways. The assumption could be made that people would stray away from it. The reality is that people constantly use tobacco products. In 2006, consumers spent $90 billion on tobacco products. (CDC) It’s baffling to know that an absurd amount of money like that is spent on something kills you. Tobacco has been in the world for over 2.5 million years. It has been around longer than humans. It was found in a small block of fossilized tobacco in the Maranon river basin in northeastern Peru. It wasn’t until about 6000 BCE, that the tobacco plant started growing in the Americas. Then in 1 BCE, tobacco started being used in a variety of ways. It was used for smoking, chewing, and in hallucinogenic enemas (by the Peruvian Aguaruna aboriginals). (Borio) In the seventeenth century, tobacco became a very popular crop. It was wanted everywhere around the world. In certain countries, it was strongly desired. In others, it was despised. It was abolished in Turkey because Ibrahim Pecevi wrote, “"Puffing in each other 's faces, they made the streets and markets stink.” (Borio) In 1672, in Massachusetts, there was a law passed that stated, “No man shall take any tobacco within 20 poles of any house not near any barn, hay cock, etc. (for prevention of fires) nor in any inn, except in a private room so that none take offense.” (Borio) In 1832, an Egyptian artilleryman invented cigarettes during the Siege of Acre. He and a few other people were in charge of the cannons. After the battle was over, the crew was awarded a bag of tobacco.
Bibliography: Borio, Gene. "THE TOBACCO TIMELINE." Tobacco.org : Welcome. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <http://www.tobacco.org/History/Tobacco_History.html>. "A Brief History of Cigarettes, Tobacco and Smoking." Buy Cheap Cigarettes. Discount Sales Order Online. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. http://www.cigarettes-below-cost.com/history_of_cigarettes.html "A Brief History of Smoking." Cancer Council New South Wales. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/editorial.asp?pageid=370>. "CDC - Fact Sheet - Economic Facts About U.S. Tobacco Production and Use - Smoking & Tobacco Use." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/economics/econ_facts/>. "How Much Money Are You Spending on Cigarettes? - How to Quit Smoking - Health.com." Health.com: Health News, Wellness, and Medical Information. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20209268,00.html>. "Prohibition." 20th Century History. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/p/prohibition.htm>. "What 's In a Cigarette, 599 Ingredients in a Cigarette." Quit Smoking Help and Quit Smoking Information at QuitSmokingSupport.com. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/whatsinit.htm>.