Essay On Tobacco In America

Before colonial times, the tobacco native to America was smoked by Native Americans for religious reasons like prayer, health, and spiritual protection. When the European settlers arrived in America they did not have much use for the native tobacco, until the 1600’s when the English settler John Rolfe began experimenting with American tobacco. Only a few years later Rolfe revealed a sweeter and more fragrant tobacco to the Jamestown colony. The “bewitching weed” or “poor man’s crop” that Rolfe cultivated was an instant hit and saved the Jamestown colony’s economy, which until that point had been in a depression, from collapsing. However, even though tobacco was quite popular there was still some debate, in 1604 King James I was the first recorded spokesman to proclaim the perilous and fatal effects of smoking. …show more content…
The Surgeon General 's Report proved that the smoking of tobacco was linked directly to lung cancer and various other diseases (Warner, et al 5). Yet, even though tobacco has been proven to be hazardous to not only the smoker 's health, but also the bystanders health, smoking is still staple in American society. American citizens ignore continuous warnings against smoking and continue to smoke tobacco. So, is it our democracies job to protect us from the harmful effects of tobacco smoke? Should Our democracy urge the us, the citizens, in the right direction? After extensive research, we have come to the conclusion that yes, our democracy has a responsibility to protect its citizens from harmful substances. The question now posed is should our democracy ban the smoking of tobacco? Through the course of this essay the effects of tobacco will be explored to determine whether or not our democracy should ban the smoking of