CONCLUSION The Facts and Trends
of the Cigarette Industry
Most of the power in
the Cigarette Industry lies with the tobacco companies themselves, as they
buy the raw tobacco, manufacture it into cigarettes, package, distribute,
and market the finished cigarettes.
The cigarette companies
are, however, losing power as the United States Government has enacted
laws restricting labeling and advertising and has sought legal redress
for the health costs incurred by smokers.
In conjunction with the
legal actions recently taken against the industry, many other interest
groups are hurting the cigarette industry.
As more and more people
have been exposed to the arguments against smoking and people have become
more health conscious, the actual number of smokers has gone down.
Overproduction of tobacco
is becoming a problem in all parts of the world, as fewer people are smoking.
Technological developments
in the industry have focused mostly on perfecting production and catering
to the changing needs of consumers.
The largest domestic
companies of 1999 were Philip Morris, R.J. Reynolds,and Brown & Williamson,
while the largest international companies of 1999 were Philip Morris International,
British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco.
The leading exporters
of tobacco are the United States and Brazil, while the leading importers
of tobacco are the United States and Germany. China, though it is
not a leading importer or exporter, is the largest consumer and producer
of tobacco.
Although these are current
trends and facts, the industry is changing constantly, as the legal picture
is evolving on a daily basis.
Jeff Lonergan and Meredith Wilson at the Duke Homestead and Tobacco
Museum
