<P> Tobacco is an agricultural product acting as a stimulant triggering complex biochemical and neurotransmitter disruptions . Its main ingredient is nicotine and it is present in all cigarettes . Early tobacco usage was for medical cures and religious purposes . In the 1990s, cigarette usage became increasingly popular when it was sold in mass amounts . The popularity of smoking increased and in 1964, the Surgeon General of the United States wrote a report concerning the dangers of cigarette smoking . In the United States, for the past 50 years efforts have been made so that the public should be aware of the risks of tobacco usage . </P> <P> In Alabama, 22.1% of the adult population (ages 18 +), over 783,000 individuals, are current cigarette smokers . Across all states, the prevalence of cigarette smoking among adults ranges from 9.3% to 26.5% . Alabama ranks 42nd among the states . Among youth ages 12--17, 12.0% smoke in Alabama . The range across all states is 6.5% to 15.9% . Alabama ranks 40th among the states . </P> <P> Among adults age 35 + years, over 7,600 died as a result of tobacco use per year, on average, during 2000--2004 . This represents a smoking - attributable mortality rate of 317.5 per 100,000 . Alabama's smoking - attributable mortality rate ranks 44th among the states . Also, approximately 850 adult non-smokers die each year from exposure to secondhand smoke . </P> <P> The American Lung Association, an organization which campaigns against the use of tobacco, is a member of the Coalition for a Tobacco - Free Alabama and works towards reducing the tobacco usage in the state . They try to discourage tobacco usage by working to create smoke - free environments and advocating an increase of tobacco taxes . </P>

Is it illegal to grow tobacco in alabama