NORFOLK, Va. — Once the proud cash crop of the state, Tobacco is a shrinking business in the Commonwealth.
Tobacco, the leading crop, even as recent as 2003, doesn’t even crack the top ten today.
According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, there were more than 6,000 tobacco farms in Virginia back in 1997. Their most recent data shows that the number dropped to just 306 farms in 2017.
But the number of Virginians smoking isn’t dropping at the same pace as the industry.
The Campaign reveals Virginians are still more likely to smoke than people from other states. 12.4% of Virginians smoke tobacco, compared to the 11.5% national average.
And the amount of money we put towards smoking prevention, nearly $12 million, is just 13% of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
Virginia and North Carolina were graded an "F" in nearly every tobacco-cutting category the American Lung Association uses to grade states.
One of the country’s most popular cigarettes, Marlboro, which makes up 40% of the market, is still mass-produced less than two hours away at the Phillip Morris plant in South Richmond.
But overall, smoking tobacco has seen a sharp decline in the last 25 years, especially for younger Virginians.
The most recent data from the CDC shows that 2% of high school students smoke cigarettes. Go back in time to 1997, when around 36% of high schoolers smoked.
Back in 2021, cigarette sales increased year over year for the first time in 20 years.
But part of that was fueled by the pandemic, and more smokers switched back to cigarettes because of new restrictions on vaping devices.