Synopses & Reviews
Describes the history of tobacco use, discusses the growth of the tobacco industry and the legal cases surrounding advertisements and tobacco's detrimental effects on health, and explains how the plant is harvested and used.
Synopsis
The Biography of Tobacco takes a fascinating look at a product at the center of great controversy. The addictive drug nicotine found in cigarettes keeps smokers hooked causing a variety of health problems. Yet, tobacco is grown in more than 125 countries around the world and is a very valuable crop to some countries' economies. Children will learn about the history of the tobacco plant, how it is grown and sold throughout the world, and how a battle is being waged for our health against large, powerful tobacco companies. Other topics include - What is a commodity? - tobacco as an early cure for toothaches and tapeworm - from a New World crop to being grown all over the world - one of the biggest cash crops in the United States, China, Brazil, and India - how tobacco use has dropped in North America but is growing in other parts of the world Teacher's guide available.