Va. If not for the help of John Rolfe, father of the tobacco industry, the colony would have perished. Another Englishman, Sir Walter Raleigh, helped to build the industry by introducing tobacco to his countrymen back home. Apparently, these early smokers did not need the encouragement from the advertising industry to light up. The stress of life must have been inspiration enough. Which brings us to my point.
People smoke because they want to.
There is no lack of negative information about cigarettes in the country. I am flabbergasted at the news stories reporting that the tobacco industry has finally admitted that cigarettes are harmful and nicotine is addictive. As if people never heard that before. In winning Tuesday's large cash settlement from Big Tobacco, Florida is following the path of annihilation carved out by the federal government. However, I did notice the tobacco companies are still in business.