Clinical Textbook of Addictive Disorders 3rd ed - R. Frances, S. Miller, A. Mack (Guilford, 2005) WW

CHAPTER 6TobaccoNORMAN HYMOWITZHISTORY AND OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEMEarly BeginningsThe use of tobacco (Nicotine tobaccum) has been traced to early American civilizations,where it played a prominent role in religious rites and ceremonies.Among the ancient Maya, tobacco smoke was used as “solar incense” to bringrain during the dry season. Shooting stars were believed to be burning butts castoff by the rain god. The Aztecs employed tobacco (Nicotine rustica) as a powerthat was used in ceremonial rites as well as chewed as a euphoric agent withlime (Schultes, 1978).In 1492, Columbus and his crew observed natives lighting rolls of driedleaves, which they called tobacos (cigars), and “swallowing” the smoke (Schultes,1978). Twenty years later, Juan Ponce de Leon brought tobacco back to Portugal,where it soon was grown on Portuguese soil. Sir Walter Raleigh introducedsmoking to England in 1565, and the English, too, successfully grew tobacco(Vogt, 1982). The growth of world trade led to the spread of tobacco to everycorner of the globe.The popular “weed” was not without its detractors. James I of England publisheda counterblaste to tobacco in 1604, and he arranged a public debate on theeffects of tobacco in 1605. Pope Urban III condemned tobacco use in 1642,threatening excommunication of offenders. In Russia, a decree in 1634 punishedtobacco users by nose slitting, castration, flogging, and banishment.These harsh measures were abolished by Peter the Great, who took to smokinga pipe in an effort to open a window to the West. It is believed that the smok-105