Good for you Don; I want to hear updates please. I wish I would have thought of it as my husband smokes. I didn't think you could grow it unless you lived in the Southern states. This is exciting. Good luck to you and your crop.

the next thing you will know is the irs will be at his door

Please keep us updated on how this goes. Too bad we can't all cutout the middleman, the government.

The next thing will be to make cigarette/cigar tobacco illegal. Watch out Mr. Carey, the DEA helicopters will be flying over your crop soon.

I don't care for tobacco, but I support this on principle.

Way to go!
Quit picking on the smokers and target the overweight Americans who gorge themselves on fast food and contribute much more to America's health crisis than the smokers do! Diabetes, sleep apnea, and heart disease with that burger? FAT TAX. Drop the taxes the smokers pay and go for the fat tax.
The government would make a lot more money.

Now this is a hard core smoker. I wish him well with his endeavor.

wouldnt it be easier to quit? and half of akron grows their own..... its just called pot.

buy CHANTIX for 100.00 and QUIT. its alot Better for your Health and Wallet...uniontown,ohio

but chantix for 100.00 and quit.its better for your health and wallet... and mine

Don,

Last I heard this is Don Carey's body. If he chooses to smoke what right do we have to tell him what to do?

May you have a long and prosperous life Don Carey!

ConGrats , Don. Tobacco helped make our Country great. . .Good Luck & I hope you harvest a great crop." Smoke 'em if you got 'em ". . & Don will. . .

Two thumbs up!

Lorie,

Sorry, but tobacco causes much more health issues than weight problems. Also, sharing a room with an obese person doesn't cause second-hand obesity issues like tobacco does. You have points about the obesity epidemic, but a fat tax as you call it is not the answer.

Excellent idea! I applaud this mans ideas and adventures. I hope it goes well.

Awesome!

I agree Lorie, my husband has to pay more for health insurance at his employment because he is a smoker. But the guy at lunch can inhale two big macs, a large fry, and a supersize drink and weighs about 300 lbs. but gets cheaper insurance because he is a non-smoker.

And to Mr. Carey, I hope your venture is successful. We may try the same thing. But I'm sure the government will get us in the end.

Now if we can just get the gov't to back off growing hemp! votehemp.com

ConGrats , Don. Tobacco helped make our Country great

So did slavery.

Having lived in North Carolina, the one thing that he'll need is a tobacco barn to hang the tobacco. Then the fun begins as he puts his crop in it. Liberty!

If fat people would smoke a lot it might help to thin out the population.

The way things are going now, I wouldn't have put this story on public news. He's probably gonna need a couple guard dogs or something. Growing tobacco and telling people where it is, is not a good idea. I do wish him luck on his tobacco fields...Anything to beat the system is a good thing.

Not a smoker but I hope he yields 10,000 lbs. Great idea.I'm supporting this 100%. Better watch out for the tobacco thieves.

Wait til the gov. legalizes pot. It is much easier to grow.

better buy a still now before the alcohol tax goes thru the roof

Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.

You have to applaud this guy for refusing to just lay down and take it.

While I personally find tobacco products abhorrent, I do applaud thus gentleman's attempt to make a statement.

Mom of five you are wrong.. Insurance prices do go up for the obese with some if not all plans....

MDW,

Seriously? Is that a good analogy?

..............

Moving on from that, I'm curious if any legal loopholes exist exempting small producers from the myriad of state and Federal taxes. This could become a nice, niche industry. I would like to see the day that I could get a box of cigars at the local farmers market.

christi,

I'm not aware of any plans that make obese users pay more. There would be a huge outcry, because smoking is an easily-controlled lifestyle choice and obesity can be caused by a variety of factors, some not controlled by lifestyle choices. My plan is the same as momoffive's in that smokers pay more, but obese people do not.

However, this argument is interesting in light of the universal health plan proposed by the government that bans tiered rates altogether for things like smoking, obesity, etc.

I am not a smoker but I hope he is successful in his efforts. I also hope a lot of other smokers follow his lead. The government is WAY to tax happy & it needs to stop. I won't hold my breath, though-seems like BHO & the Dems will find a way to tax anything & everything.

The best outcome would be for his effort fail and, as a result, he would decide to give up smoking. I wish this enterprising gentlemen good health.

It is a common fallacy that tobacco needs a warmer climate than Ohio's to grow. Connecticut has had a tobacco growing tradition for over 100 years.

The DEA will now be flying over his field and spraying a chemical which kills the potency of the tobacco. Sad.

Think: I'd like to see beer selling for $20 a bottle and liquor for $100 a bottle. Maybe that would keep people from drinking and driving. Gosh, never heard of a fatal traffic because someone was smoking and driving!

@wilma..."its just called pot." gf u know u rite!
wish I liked pot cause it is easier to grow but u never know who will come into ur house then report u and the plant, like, Use Common Sense!

Good for him. I am for anything that excludes the government. I am sure that the DON will try to find a way to tax this poor fellow!

Exercise your right to smoke!

http://www.filthyrichmond.com/2008/06/exercise-your-right-to-smoke.html

Why do so many people think this is about making a statement? The guy simply doesn't want to pay ridiculous prices to smoke. It's as simple as that. And I'm with the majority on this.....GOOD FOR YOU, DON!!! BUT.....you watch. This guy is going to make news again when marijuana is discovered by the agents who planted it. OR some kids may use the field to hide their own agricultural yield and get Mr. Carey in trouble. But my money is with the latter.
Either way, I'm glad to see somebody taking the initiative and sticking it to The Man:)

Yeah....right, Middle Man. I'm sure "the DON" will find a way to tax Carey...........on his tobacco............in Portage County. You need to bone up on your Geography lessons there, Cheech:)

Tax all groceries 1%. Make everybody pay equally. Just about all budget problems fixed real quickly.

Just think how much in taxes the obese smoker would have to pay. Not all smokers are skinny.

I think most of the damage from cigarette smoke is all the chemicals and additives the companies put in them to speed your addiction to smoking. American Indians smoked for many hundreds of years before the white man showed up. Plain unadulterated tobacco is probably not that harmful to the body when used in moderation. Maybe if enough people start growing their own tobacco the govt. will lose enough tax money that they'll legalize pot and tax that. Then everyone can grow weed for personal consumption. Keep your fingers crossed!

When I first read the caption under his pic, I thought, "Great, this guy is growing his own veggies, cuz the prices are so high." But then I read the story: he's growing tobacco! Why doesn't he just quit. He'd make, and save money. A carton of cigs is a week of groceries for some people.

Does anyone really think this guy is going to smoke everything he grows? By his own admission he says he'll have enough to last 50 yrs-ask any smoker-nothing worse than old, stale tobacco. He's going to sell it to his friends that helped him plant it-DUH! He was a fool to let anyone know he's growing it because now the govt. will be making sure they keep an eye on it so they can tax him. At least he was smart enough that the exact location isn't easy to find so people can't steal it.

MDW,

Seriously? Is that a good analogy?

I wasn't trying to compare the two things. The person I quoted said that tobacco helped build this country...presumably as an argument in favor of tobacco, as though all things that helped build the country are intrinsically good. I was trying to see whether that argument would stand.

ollfuzzter - I think that's a big assumption that he's going to *sell* it to his friends. They did put in all that labor to help him plant it - there's no reason why they shouldn't just *have* some.

One of the reasons he's growing so much tobacco is just to try out a whole lot of different varieties to see how they go, so he can pick the best crop for his personal use for the future.

Good on you Don. I've also been growing my own crop this year. I'm only trying two different varieties, and I'd be really interested to hear from other people what ones worked for them in different areas of the country. When I used to live in Australia I used to smoke a native tobacco that grew wild, but I can't seem to find anything like that here.

TO Retired: Thank you or your interesting reply. I googled "smoking and traffic accidents". Per a number of the sites, smoker have more traffice accidents than nonsmokers. How accurate this is I do not know. I can imagine that smoking is sort of like talking on a cell phone: it is a distraction that occupies one of the driver's hands.

Good for you, continuing with a vice that pretty much everyone recognizes as a major cause of cancer as well as linked to heart disease, emphysema, stroke, and hypertension. And by not paying taxes, when you do get sick, it'll be some other taxpayer who offsets the five or six digit bill for your treatment.

Sorry for the sharp tone, but you sound just like my father, a smoker for decades. Until... one day he woke up and was hoarse... and it didn't go away. And it turned into cancer, visits to the big city medical center, further hospitalization, loss of his vocal cords, and massive medical bills despite insurance. And mom and I get to enjoy each 6 month cancer check up of his, terrified of this will be the checkup that finds the cancer has returned. He stopped smoking and finally admits he is wrong. I hope you will really think about what you're doing to yourself (and your loved ones) with your smoking... before it's too late.

Does that mean he can sue himself when he gets lung cancer and starts spitting blood?

Way to go!!!! Here in New york, smokes are almost $9 bucks a pack unless you go to the Indian reservation.

Don,May the spirit of Farmer John be with you my friend!

Nicotine is a drug. This story proves that nicotine is horribly addictive. Addictive drugs are the worst kind. Why are drugs that are less addictive and less deadly than this one illegal, while this one is legal? That's called a double standard.
Don't assume that all fat people chose to be fat.
Body type is largely genetic. Some people have slow metabolism. They don't eat as much as you eat, but they are fatter than you. Secondhand fat doesn't kill. It doesn't even exist.
If you believe in God, then you must admit that God made fat cells, and placed them in the bodies of men, women, boys, girls and babies, especially females.
Some plants are poisonous. Tobacco is one of them. If you don't believe me, bite into one. Make a salad. So how can you say that just because it is on earth, God intended for people to consume it?

Copyright (c) Robert Paul Singleton, 1999

Sing this to the tune of "Up on the House Top."

I'll make my point without being verbose.
Nicotine's a drug that's addictive and gross.
Two packs a day will kill your sense of taste,
and harm your health like 90 ponds of fat around your waist, so
if you smoke, or you do coke,
you'll soon learn that drugs are no jo-oke
every cigarette is a cancer stick,
and when you smoke a cigarette, you're geting wrinkled quick

Some people think this is all about choice.
Throat surgery hurts and destroys your voice.
When smokers fall asleep without extinguishing, they often burn their apartments down, and their neighbors lose everything, so

if you smoke, or you do coke,
you'll soon learn this song is not a jo-oke
every cigarette is a cancer stick,
and when you smoke a cigarette you're making people sick.

Here's an analogy, follow along.
Smoking in front of your kids is wrong, it's just like
pointing a gun at your kids and playing Russian roulette,
It's wrong even though it hasn't killed your kids yet.
If you smoke, or you do coke, please be aware that drugs are no jo-oke.
Every cigarette is a cancer stick,
and when you smoke in front of kids you're making children sick.

(Change key)

Who helps tobacco lawyers when they lie?
Who said "ye shall not surely die?"
If you're trying to quit, your enemy hopes you'll fall
1-800-NO BUTTS, he hopes you won't call!

If you smoke, or you do coke, you'll soon learn that drugs are not a joke, and
every cigarette is a cancer stick,
and when you smoke a cigarette, you're sucking Satan's ?ick.
Satan will help you to lie 'cause he wants to see fetuses writhing in pain when you're sucking Satan's i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-ick!
BOOM!

Good for you Don!!
I don't understand why they pick on the smokers and even drinkers for that matter. Sin tax?? Com'mon. What a joke! Some people don't want people to smoke but they have no problem taking their money from cigarette sales to build soccer fields and fund art programs..?? Makes no sense. If that's their logic behind it, increase the tax on everyday household items like toilet paper and stop singling (sp) out certain groups.

Ohio has a good climate for growing tobacco, my grandfather grew it here for years. I remember as a kid we would go and help him tie and hang it every year and he rolled his own cigarettes from what he grew. If you're a smoker, it doesn't take many plants to give yourself a good supply of tobacco it just takes a little effort to process it on your own. By the way, I think it's great for this man and I'm not a smoker. Also, grandpa died at 96, it didn't hurt him much.

Smokers should be forced to smoke inside a portable plastic bubble so that only they are breathing the fumes from the tobacco. Then I wouldn't care at all if they grew it to smoke. Nothing more obnoxious than pulling up to a traffic signal next to someone dangling a lit cigarette out their car window and the fumes blowing into my vehicle. Unless it is trying to enter a building but having to travel through a gauntlet of smokers on break. They too should have to go inside a plastic bubble and all smoke and cough together.

vcignature.com

No smoking Ban, No Second Hand, Still in your Hand. Everybody wins.

Smoking leads to global warming!!

Having to spend $200 per month on this junk is a good anti-smoking argument for me.

@bhopal5422@gmail.com

Thank you for that post!! I don't understand how this went from a tobacco story to an overweight issue.
Until you have walked in an obese persons shoes you shouldn't speak of what you don't know. Smoking is a choice, obesity is not a choice for anyone there are always underlying issues in some form or another.
Oh and by the way I do have to pay more for my health insurance and life insurance because of my weight.

Hey people...Why don't all the meth and crack heads just quit too??? And child molesters while we're at it??

Ever heard of an addiction?? HOWEVER, the addiction in this article is a LEGAL one.

Mayleen says:

"Good for you, continuing with a vice that pretty much everyone recognizes as a major cause of cancer as well as linked to heart disease, emphysema, stroke, and hypertension. And by not paying taxes, when you do get sick, it'll be some other taxpayer who offsets the five or six digit bill for your treatment."



...Or he will just die and his family will have to deal with the cash for the funeral. Or they will pay for the funeral with all of the other taxes he has so far paid in his life.

Kenmorekid...I think factories should have to put a bubble around their entire buiding (including smokestacks) so they have to breathe in their own polluted air. This way I can eat as many fish out of Lake Erie as I want.

You go Don! Good Luck...all you people that always have nagitive or hatefull comments for smokers...live your own life..not ours. Also, have you looked in the mirror? Are you habit free of all things? I think I may try this too.

Let's cut to the chase- if the government wants to tax something, they'll find a reason.
Look out!
ANYONE with self-destructive behaviors !!!
Anyone got a count of those behaviors, yet? Have we missed one? Let's see: eating, smoking, doping, driving, and yes, working...

Whether the tax is levied as a true punishment, I doubt it, more likely, we have an administration that is trying to tax us roughly in line with what it costs to run a government... instead of passing the debt on to "the other guy".
I think Smokers like Mr. Carey "slip through the cracks" on this law. And I applaud him for that. Anyone that is willing to go to that much effort should be able to circumvent these taxes. If I pedal everywhere, I'll circumvent gasoline taxes!

@ UseCommonSense...My grandparents both smoked..lived till their late 80's, both died in no relation to cigs,....Thank you.

Wow. Anyone else think that we have a serious problem on our hands when it comes to healthcare costs? That seems to be driving this whole thing. It won't be long until they're after the drinkers and the obese. The healthcare industry is in drastic need of an overhaul. They're run worse than the schools - too many people living fat and happy.

Since the beginning of human existence, tobacco has been sacred. Today, tobacco has been demonized as have been the its users. I contend the problems with tobacco are more of a learned or created behavior than a problem with tobacco. The manner in which tobacco is produced and over used is the demon and behavioral modification is the solution.

Soon after I started using clean tobacco, my consumption has been reduced by 30% and I no longer smoke as a matter of habit.

I would be happy to help anyone who wants to learn how to grow your own, but there is a lot of help at How to grow tobacco dot com if you're interested.

Hey Don...

I was looking on the internet for tobacco seeds the day before your article in the ABJ. You must of tested growing plants before you went all out with 7000 plants, did you? Did you get seeds locally?

I've done some farming in the past, so growing from seed wasn't totally foreign to me. I got the seeds from many places, but there are seeds available on the net.

I can be contacted at DonCareyco at aol dot com if anyone needs/wants help with this subject.

for you hate mongrels out there http://www.ryomagazine.com/
and for the ppl that would like more information
do your research b4 you send your hate tells

I'm a former smoker and to each his own.
Don, good luck on your endeavor, really interesting. I hope all works out for ya!

yes overweight people are a burden on health ins., but how about people who "take-in" second hand smoke? At times, when you pass a store front, people are out there smoking and blowing that smoke into me and others. the guy chowing down on a Big Mac, FF and a coke--he's doing no harm to me or those around him. And wait till that stuff starts to smell--ever been down to NC,SC, and smell tobacco "curing"?

i can honestly say there is nothing i like doing so much that i'd spend that much time, money, and effort on.. more power to him.

@mom of2

Your health isn't being risked by walking past a guy in front of a store smoking (he's also supposed to be 10 feet from the door). The people at risk for second hand smoke are those who have prolonged exposure such as family members, people working in bars, etc.

KenmoreKid, and people like you need to be in an air free environment.

I agree with Jason. It would be great to have a local farmers market for this type of stuff so that we could at least support our local farmers. Could you imagine the variety and quality we could enjoy? Plus, it would be much less dangerous without all the chemicals that tobacco companies add. We'd probably even have some organic blends.

You go DON!

People like Don who refuse to take what the thugs dish out is what made this country great. However, then there are the commenters who demonstrate what is making this country collapse, those who say Don should solve the problem by quitting, or those who say other people should be taxed, instead. It isn't about succumbing to others who wish to control you, or arguing which group you hate more and therefore think should be taxed more. Otherwise, I'd say that the entire tax burden ought to be placed on mean ignoramuses named Lorie, who are unclear on the concept of freedom.

Anyone who would like to receive updates or information on growing must send me their email address. There is no way to contact you from this site.

To all who have posted comments (pro and con), Thank you

Smokers who don't like to pay the tax on cigarette tax have the option to quit. The tax on cigarettes does not affect ex-smokers. Nobody is being picked on when tobacco products are taxed. High taxes on cigarettes help twelve-year-olds not to get hooked in the first place. Think of the kids you know between the ages of seven and thirteen. Do you want them to smoke? I don't! Do you defend their "right" to start smoking as soon as they turn eighteen? I don't! If you do, then you don't love them.

Interesting, though I'm not sure about the legal issues involved with growing your own tobacco.

Don, is this similar to brewing you own beer, where you are limited to only producing a certain amount of gallons of beer per calendar year (dependent on the amount of adults in the household) before you need to obtain a license? Though I'm not a smoker, I wonder if the ATF agents are going to come knocking on your door demanding that you can't grow that much without registering (and paying a hefty fee), or telling you that you can't sell it even to cover your overhead. Would be a shame to see someone trying to stick it to Big Tobacco and go back to a 'healthier' non-additive laced cig get put to the wall.

pay the tax it's for the kids I smoke two packs a day and i have no kids it's not the childs fought
the parents are bums.

@jon--sometimes they are alot closer than the 10 feet and when you have 6-7-8 or more out there then what?

During the run of the (first) Soviet Union, the Russian citizenry at that time kept a basic standard of living by discovering and leveraging ways around the Soviet system. If they found a shortcut or loophole around a law (e.g. to avoid taxes or gain some kind of freedom), they used it to its fullest extent, until the Communist Party found out about it & took it away. I salute Carey as the new American Patriot--as a true pioneer, illustrating to us a way around a new generation of Soviet-style regulations. I look forward to seeing more stories about modern-day revolutionaries like him.

Good for him!

@Franco

You are 100% right. Mr. Carey is getting back to basics and is now producing a purer product than what the tobacco companies are producing now. Years and years ago you used to read stories of people who lived to be in their 90's and 100's, and when asked what they have done in their lives to live to such a ripe old age, it almost surely included tobacoo use. My own grandfather was a smoker who lived until he was 96, and when he did die, it was not smoke related. Severe tobacco related health issues that people have been plagued with, as well as those that have been plagued at such young ages can be directly related to the additives the tobacco companies use to keep one addicted. Years and years ago, people who wanted to quit smoking just quit - that was it. But there are so many stop smoking aids around today, and the success rates on many of them are very low. That speaks volumes. I applaud Mr. Carey. I am an ex-smoker who oftentimes feels as if society "forced" me to give up a habit that I truly enjoyed.

@mom of2

It's still limited exposure, and while it may be a nuisance, isn't really going to do anything horrible to you. If they're not following the smoking laws, report them to the owner of the establishment or call the hotline that is more than likely posted on the door.

buy CHANTIX for 100.00 and QUIT

Does anyone else pay attention to the news? Chantix has extreme side effects and should not be taken by anyone!!!!! Try plain tobacco - no chemicals! That is what we are all addicted to, not the tobacco, but all the chemicals that the "Man" puts in them.

I used Chantix and quit, no problems...its been over a month, can't stand the taste of cigarettes or the thought of inhaling. I do enjoy the smell of others' smoke outdoors though but with no desire to light up. Everyone is different.

Nancy, I do not know anything about home brewing regulations, but there is no limit on the amount of tobacco that can be grown. It is a legal crop to sell also. The only condition on selling cured tobacco is the mid rib (main stem) can not be removed. This condition exists so the farmers can sell the tobacco to the manufacturer and not have to collect the governments tax.

bhopal5422@gmail.com "Smokers who don't like to pay the tax on cigarette tax have the option to quit."

Yeah...that's one option. The other option is to grow your own. It is legal and all of your whining won't change that. If Big brother (or should it be "Oh brother") decides to make growing illegal, I'll have enough tobacco to last the rest of my life. Contrary to popular ignorance, tobacco gets better with age and it does not go stale. A 20 year old cigar will cost you $100...if you can find one.

moneydogg "pay the tax it's for the kids I smoke two packs a day and i have no kids it's not the childs fought the parents are bums."

Feel free to pay all of the tax you want...that is your prerogative. It is my prerogative to NOT buy packaged cigarettes and avoid the tax.

Don: I appreciate the way you jumped in to answer people's questions and give responses - nice job!

I hope more people smoke , this world is way overpopulated any way. I dont smoke tobacco

"..Does anyone else pay attention to the news? Chantix has extreme side effects and should not be taken by anyone..."

a blanket statement which is completley inaccurate. Chantix does NOT have severe side effects - or any side effects for that matter, on EVERYONE. Saying it should not be taken by anyone is a moronic statement.

I have plenty of friends who successfully quit smoking using Chantix without ANY side effects at all.

And... even if there were occassional side effects... perhaps you should visit the cancer or pulmonary diseases ward at Akron General sometime.

Watch people gasping for air or dying from lung or throat cancer - some of them only in their 40's ... and you would likely come to the realization that any possible or temporary side effects would pale in comparison to what you have in store for you if you continue to smoke.

Mr. Carey certainly has the right to grow his own product if that is what he chooses to do.

But let's not sugarcoat the effects of smoking, shall we?

It's perhaps the worst thing you can do to your body.

29 years... 2 packs a day.... and clean for several years now. It can be done if you WANT to. And even if you are against Chantix, you can still quit cold turkey. I did.

And if I can do it, ANYONE can do it. You just have to WANT it.

It's called "thinning the heard"

Don - that's cool there isn't a limit to how much you can grow. Thought the feds would have some hand it in somehow, so it's nice to hear that they don't. I say go for it, then! The health problems inherent in smoking ARE likely due to big tobacco companies adding unneeded chemicals.

Homebrewed beer is limited to 100 gallons a year per each adult in the household, FYI.

u know if some of you extremest would make a bill forcing places to give us an actual smoking area you wouldn't see ppl standing outside the door smoking, now would you.....

I see a lot of people here who should mind their own business, esp, Lorie. Let the smokers get cancer, and the fatties diabetes. Of course, minding your own business means refusing to pay for their medical care as well. As for Mr. Carey, way to go, sir...I hope we'll be in contact. The only way to avoid government meddling is to withdraw from the economy as much as possible.

What a great idea! I quit about 5-6 years ago and haven't done anything except put on weight since. I have had more health problems with the added weight that I ever had as a consequence of smoking.
Hamburgers will get us all in the end. Power to you Mr. Cary. Hope your project is a roaring success!!!

Don Carey is correct in what he is doing and in what he says about the legality of growing his own tobacco. Smoking is bad for your health, we all know that but regardless of that fact, people are always going to smoke.

The government has no interest in curtailing smoking. If they really wanted to do that then all has to be done is make cigarettes illegal. But they would lose tons of revenue so that won't happen. Instead they brought about the schip tax that raised the tax on loose tobacco over 2000% as of april 1st. This under the guise to protect and provide health insurance for children. When in fact this tax pays for insurance for illegal aliens and also covers households making over $80,000. per year. Those in between get nothing.
Then the government decided to allow the FDA to control tobacco products. But what they fail to make known is that they partnered with Philip Morris to sort out how this might work. Odd bed fellows at best. The FDA agreed with Philip Morris to increase their market share which had reached a plateau in the US. How could this increase market share? The FDA made a pact with PM to lower the amount of nicotine in a pack of cigarettes. Thus to get the same amount of nicotine or 'fix' the smoker will soon have to purchase more cigarettes. Yeah, the government has our health at heart!
I am a smoker too as I am sure you could have guessed. I disagree with such horrendous tax falling on one group of people but I realize you non smokers think it is justified and next to wonderful. That is your right, but smokers cannot take on the weight of our corrupt government at every instance.
That said, I might add that I am a tobacco grower also but no where near the extent of Mr. Carey. Matter-of-fact their are now hundreds if not thousands of us home growers sprouting up all over the country this year.
I will be contacting Mr. Carey and ask if he might sell me a few pounds of his cured leaf. Great going Don!

I am doing the same thing just on a smaller scale.WOW it is a lot of work!!! Can't imagine cutting on over 7000 plants to keep em from seeding!!!

Its the chemicals that are added to tobacco by the ditibutors that create health problems. People smoked back in the 16oo and up until the big tobacco companies took over and they lived fairly long lives. My Great Grand-mother smoked and put
snuff and lived to be 98 when she died of old age.
But the government will get this guy one way or another. We''l all stand by and watch. It's a shame.

My goodness, this story got a lot of responses.
I wonder why? Ok here is my take.

We grow vegtables, fruit, and anything else we want that is legal. Soooooooooooo............
Why are we getting in his business?

Non smokers mind your business.
Smokers look, listen and, learn.

Don Carey...

Somehow this story was reposted... I'd like to know how well the plants grew this year. I played with some tobacco plants in my garden this year and it did fairly well, I'll be tying and drying them soon.

You can't ever escape the IRS that's a sure thing in life. In response to someones comment about there being more health problems associated with Fat people chowing down on greasy fast food cheeseburgers and tubs of lard called super size french fires(actually didn't they get rid of super size) At any rate, that comment is untrue because it's a fact that cigarettes kill more people per year then all drugs combined, more then heroin more then meth and even alcohol related deaths per year. They are the single biggest killers in the entire world. I used to smoke but I had to quit, I don't like the way my body feels when I am a smoker, it feels like being a burnout. Anyone who smokes, in my opinion is a burnout, period! Take for example when I see a group of smokers all smoking around a baby, or children for that matter. It's not fair that people can get away with a cigarette in one hand and a toddler in the other, making that child inhale all those nasty, noxious, toxic fumes. It is uncalled for and whenever I see a person smoking cigarettes with a baby around I just tell myself, how "White Trash" those people are.

Awl, I thought this was an update to an old story; I'm going back to sleep and please don't type so loud!

Ok everyone is blaming the smokers and the over weight people for every little thing...
First let me say i am a smoker and i love my burger king every so often... Now i am over weight why BECAUSE OF THE MEDS I AM ON... yes i suffer from HIGH Cholesterole and pre-diabetic and high blood pressure... If this man wants to grow his own tabacco for his own use then i say congrats to him... Now the goverement has always picked on the smokers what about the alcholhics... Noone has said anything about raising taxes on them... also i think they should make POT legal and tax them...
Also what about the oldest prof. in the world why not start taxing the ladies of the night... what next will the Goverment try to do

Just remember : ALL the Marlboro men on the commercials have ALL died from cancer !!

Chantix kills, guess that is the idea behind it and the other new meds coming out these days. The lawyers are gonna have some nice stuffed pockets with all the lawsuits against the pharmsas which is pretty nice since they are the ones who started this whole smoking kills idea. My Grandpa smoked since young and lived to be 99 I hardly think it was the tobacco that did it.

tax tobacco if you want but do not justify it by saying smokers cost the health system to much money - several studies demonstrate that smokers cost the system much less money then non smokers over their life time. and they also save industry and government pension and social security money!

Organically grown without the tobacco industries chemical additives that have hooked us all. You go Don! It's free enterprise.

What happened to my post ABJ? Now you see it Now you don't.

Again I have disappeared.

smoke 'em up Janie!!!

Don, I quit 20 years ago, but hey.....more power to you. I hope this works out.

Ha Ha...one of a very FEW things the government can NOT touch...gow it for PERSONNEL use!!!

If you can grow all those plants and get away with it then that is your constitutional right as an American. I don't have any qualms with that. I do realize that smoking all natural organic tobacco is much less harmful then the garbage sticks big tobacco is producing. The biggest problem I have being an x smoker myself is the children, they should be able to live in a smoke free world that should be their constitutional right as an American citizen.