I was traveling through some back country roads in TN this past weekend and saw tobacco in the fields and hung in barns for the first time in a long time. Growing up, it was common place to see fields of yellow leaves in the fall.
Getting to see less and less of it here in Georgia. In my area, 20 years ago, it was all over the place. Everyone grew a Virginia strain made for cigarettes and sold it to RJ Reynolds who had a place in town. I'd occasionally go out into the fields of a farmer I knew well and pull some leaves. I'd let them dry in my laundry room and either attempt to roll them into cigars or crumble them into a pipe. Never had much luck because I was too impatient and it would make a pretty bitter smoke. None of the guys I know grow it now. The RJ Reynolds place is still there but I never see cars around it. Not sure if it was government restrictions or too labor intensive that caused everyone to quit growing it.