Chewing tobacco is undoubtedly the oldest for of tobacco consumption. It originated in Native American tribes, when the Indians began chewing tobacco leaves mixing them with herbal plants or lime.

In the 19th Century chewing tobacco was on the peak of its popularity across the US, especially in the Southern States before the war. Soldiers chose tobacco between the battles as it gave them a distraction from their stress. People placed special spittoons everywhere from their homes to saloons. Even the wealthy plantation owners and worthy officers always had pouches with chewing tobacco with them. In addition, women and even children, all of them chewed, with kids often picked the tobacco from the ground after someone had thrown it.

World-famous English write Charles Dickens, who traveled the States in 1848, admitted that Washington was a sanctuary of tobacco chewers, because it seemed that every one was chewing.

According to the information that reached us from that time, in 1890 the average adult American consumed nearly 3 pounds of chewing tobacco.

Nevertheless, the chewing tobacco popularity began to fade away in the end of the 19th Century, as the invention of tobacco rolling machinery triggered a new fashion tendency – cigarette smoking. Another reason for the consumption decline was the findings of European biologists that demonstrated that tobacco chewing could provoke tuberculosis.

But still, in the 1930s, RJ Reynolds, at that moment the largest tobacco company in the US, was selling 80 brands of chewing tobacco, 10 brands of pipe tobacco, and only 5 cigarettes brands, including the legendary Camels.

Chewing tobacco was extremely popular among athletes, and particularly baseball players. As well as the tobacco chewing habit, it became a national sport in the middle of the 18th Century. The overwhelming majority of baseballers chewed tobacco during the games, and this tradition lasted much longer among athletes, than the rest part of the population.

The athletes were suspicious about picking up cigarette smoking, and in addition, coaches blamed cigarettes for tiredness and weakness of their players.

However, the number of tobacco chewers did begin to drop in the beginning of the 20th century, slowly but gradually. The trend was revived for a while, in the 1960s, after the federal authorities revealed the reports by surgeon general about the hazards of tobacco smoking. And the athletes even took part in various campaigns aimed at reducing the rates of tobacco chewers. The use of chewing tobacco by participants of sport events has been prohibited, and by now, there is no athlete in America to openly choose tobacco, like it was in the previous century.

But, the tradition is still alive in the US, and especially in the South. For instance, during the 2006 elections, both Virginia Senator candidates acknowledged that they have been chewing tobacco, but promised to quit, in order to avoid luring people to the habit.

!!! Annonce !!! Forum Marlboro.