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Tobacco
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Tobacco is an agricultural product from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana.
Tobacco is most commonly smoked in cigarette or cigar form, though it can also be chewed. The purpose of this is to get the buzz from the nicotine found with in it.
[edit] History
Tobacco has a long history with Native American history. It seems to have been growing on both American continents as early as 6000 BC, and began it's use by native civilizations by 3000 BC. Cave paintings show ancient civilizations smoking tobacco.
Once Europeans came to the Americas they began seeing the possible commercial aspect to tobacco, but it wasn't until 1609 that it was able to be first cultivated for commerical use. John Rolfe, the founder of the Jamestown settlement in Virginia, was able to succesfully raise tobacco to sell across the Atlantic, back in Europe.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, tobacco was a huge cash crop for the Virginia colonies, as well as the Carolinas.