The executives of Big Tobacco have stopped insisting that tobacco is not addictive, but have not stopped making a killing from the deadly addictive quality of their product. The steady demand, particularly in the developing world where regulation doesn't reach, breeds a booming business in smuggling, as well as aggressive marketing schemes targeting the poor, minorities, and children. International treaties and successful lawsuits have helped to slow the malignant spread of tobacco in the United States and other developed nations, but the industry remains one of the largest and most influential in national and international politics.
Alliance One International Inc a joint owner of Limbe Leaf Tobacco (with Swiss-registered Continental Tobacco Company), which buys its tobacco leaf from growers around the world, including farms that support child labor. The company made the US Fortune Global 500 in 2007, and is based out of North Carolina but operates globally.
