Tobacco is a powerful plant that has become extraordinarily rich and in demand throughout the world. It has been one of the most commonly used drugs in recent centuries and has a very long history. It dates back to Native American times, but became increasingly popular when Europeans arrived in America. At that time it became very popular for trade. People traded spices, silk, food, and more for tobacco. There are more than 70 different varieties of tobacco. There are also numerous ways to consume tobacco, including cigars, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and flavored tobacco. While not everyone uses tobacco, tobacco affects everyone. Tobacco has drastic effects on the world and these effects impact everyone. More importantly, tobacco drastically affects our health. There is a notable comparison between a person who does not smoke tobacco and a person who does. Tobacco also impacts everything around us. It has a drastic impact on our economy and surrounding environment. Tobacco is a plant that has been artificially and naturally bred, meaning it has been modified to suit people's desires. Through natural selection, the most potent tobacco plants have survived the world's harshest environments to keep their lineage intact. As for artificial selection, throughout history humans have selectively bred different types of tobacco plants to see if a stronger, more effective type of tobacco could be derived from them. Additionally, tobacco also affects our environment, such as cigarette butts on the floor, our nutritional health, and our economy. Tobacco brings with it an anthropological consequence, to understand how c...... middle of paper ...... large sums of money owed to tobacco-smoking workers who lost precious time at work due to their tobacco-related health problems. Employers must pay more for smokers' health insurance. Additionally, in just one year, California nearly lost $8.5 billion in productivity due to premature death or illness from tobacco smoking. In 2004, the state of California spent $9.6 billion on health care costs due to tobacco smoking and $2.9 million on Medicaid/Medi-Cal. From an environmental perspective, tobacco has significant costs for cleanup and precautions taken by states. According to the California Department of Transportation, one of the major contributors to trash collection during storms is cigarette waste. More than $41 million is spent by California public agencies and taxpayers to clean up litter from streets, and cigarette waste accounts for a third of that waste.