Tobacco Headed for the Dump - $661,000,000

[dArKeR]

It cost the U.S. Department of Agriculture $661 million and is fit for nothing but the trash heap. And that is where 121,000 tons of fragrant but poor quality tobacco is heading, after sitting in warehouses for four years.

Droughts in Kentucky and floods in North Carolina made 1999 the worst of years for tobacco farmers. The crop that resulted was light in color, high in nicotine, unappealing in flavor -- and unwanted by cigarette makers.

Producers were bailed out by Congress, which passed legislation ordering USDA to buy up much of the harvest: 81,000 tons of burley, 39,000 tons of flue-cured and almost 1,000 tons of cigar-binder tobacco.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44325-20...

That's were they should send the Southern Repuke Politicians too!

[truthisfreedom]

1. better buried than smoked.

put it back in the ground. it's best as fertilizer and certainly cheaper to destroy than to have destroy our children.

[dArKeR]

2. You paid part of, and everyone else paid the rest: $661,000,000 for

this Southern Cancer FREE TRADE Subsidy!

[damnraddem]

3. Note that a Republican Congress did this.

It's way past time to end all tobacco subsidies.

[7th_Sephiroth]

4. Big Tobacco has deep pockets

So i doubt thier produck will ever be banned. They make enough to brive every senator, president ect.

[NekoChris]

5. AGRH

I humbly apologize to the world on behalf of my state, Kentucky, for continuing to grow this crap.

It never ceases to confuse me how I see "OMG DON'T SMOKE IT IS BAD FOR YOU IT KILLS YOU NO 4 SERIOUS" ads all around town. At bus stops, in the hospital, everywhere.

AND YET AT THE SAME TIME DESPITE THIS OVERWHELMING FLOOD OF 'HEY GUYS THIS IS BAD' the government CONTINUES TO IGNORE IT.

Yet alternatively, hemp, ganga, etc ... IS STILL THE GREATEST EVIL. Even though at worst, it makes you stupid for a limited duration. I've not really heard any side effects beyond that.

Leads to other drugs? Only if you WANT it to.
Addictive? No more and probably less than your cigs.
I even seem to recall that our founding fathers liked to light up a joint and kick back every now and then.

If you smoke tobacco, you're stupid, and you deserve what's coming to you. Namely, cancer , and/or messed up lungs. Enjoy, stupids.