Tobacco

Tobacco is a plant that contains an addictive chemical known as nicotine.

From

Tobacco is made from the dried leaves of the Nicotiana tabacum plant, which grows worldwide. Most of the tobacco on sale in the UK comes over from the US.

Historians believe tobacco has been smoked since before 1 BC, while the first pictorial record of tobacco being smoked was found on a piece of Guatemalan pottery dating to 600-1000 AD. Sir Walter Raleigh brought tobacco to England in the second part of the 16th century.

In the 1870s British factories started making ready-rolled cigarettes, and in the 1950s filter-tipped cigarettes became readily available.

Chemistry

Tobacco contains the drug nicotine, which can be lethal if taken in high amounts. A few drops of pure nicotine can kill a human in minutes. The nicotine in tobacco is carried into the body in the cigarette's tar, where it acts as a stimulant, increasing the smoker's heart rate and blood pressure. It is also thought that nicotine has some effect on our neurotransmitters, but exactly what this effect is remains unknown as yet.

Production

While tobacco plants can be grown in the UK they prefer a rich soil and warm climate. Each plant produces about 20 large leaves, which are then air-dried. Mexico produces dark air-cured tobacco for cigars while the USA produces light air-cured tobacco more suited to cigarettes. The air-curing process can take up to two months. Once cured, the leaves are stored for up to three years to mature before use.