Organic Tobacco

Sarah Milstein (milstein@pipeline.com)
Wed, 11 Oct 1995 10:37:44 -0400

>'milstein@nyc.pipeline.com(Sarah Milstein)' wrote:
>On Oct 10, 1995 21:48:17, 'WLockeretz@infonet.tufts.edu' wrote:
>
>
>>
>>Thorsten von Berswordt's query about organic tobacco raises two questions

>that
>>I find even more interesting than those in his message: 1) Why? 2) Why?
>>
>>1) Why would any organic producer want to produce tobacco? I once
>>read a statement of organic principles somewhere that I seem to recall
>>featured words like "wholesome, healthful products."
>>
>>2) Why would any organic consumer want to consume tobacco? I'd be very

>>interested to hear whether they pay a premium for organic tobacco, and if

>so,
>>why? To safeguard their health?
>>
>>I hadn't heard that there is significant organic tobacco production, but
>if
>>there is, doesn't this raise some pretty serious questions about what in
>the
>>world "organic" is all about? Perhaps some organic tobacco
>>producers/consumers could enlighten me.
>
>I'm neither a tobacco producer nor consumer, but I feel strongly that the
>word organic refers (or should refer) to the production of a crop in an
>environmentally sustainable manner. It isn't (or shouldn't) be a buzzword

>for healthfulness, and doesn't indicate anything about the habits of the
>consumer. Although many people choose organic products because the
>products will be better for them, I think we're gonna be sliding down the
>old conventional slippery slope if we try to argue that organic products
>are about consumer fancies: what next -- organic seatbelts?
>
>At any rate, were I a tobacco consumer, I'd definitely want to smoke
>organic tobacco, in part for reasons of my own health (I have no desire to

>inhale a load of petro-chemical residues), in part to protect the earth in

>which it was grown. After all, nobody's eating organic cotton, but a
small
>number of people are growing and marketing it now.
>
>- Sarah
>
>--KAA17820.813422010/mail.nyc.pipeline.com--
>
>