Communities are often defined, at least in part, by the businesses that call them home. The history of our great commonwealth has been closely intertwined with tobacco since the first days of Jamestown. Tobacco has played and continues to play an important role in Virginia’s economy. Thou sands of our citizens are connected to the industry, either by helping grow tobacco, by working for a tobacco company, or by selling goods and services to others who do.

On June 12 Congress approved the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (the “FDA bill”), giving the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the production, marketing, and sale of tobacco products. Swedish Match North America is a Richmond-based company that has been in the smokeless tobacco business in the United States for more than 100 years—our brands include Red Man chewing tobacco and Timber Wolf and Longhorn moist snuff. The company has been one of the major players in the growing U.S. value-priced moist snuff segment, as well as an active participant in an emerging U.S. subcategory of smokeless tobacco, Swedish snus. Swedish snus have more than a century-old tradition in Sweden.

On June 12 Congress approved the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (the “FDA bill”), giving the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate the production, marketing, and sale of tobacco products. Swedish Match North America is a Richmond-based company that has been in the smokeless tobacco business in the United States for more than 100 years—our brands include Red Man chewing tobacco and Timber Wolf and Longhorn moist snuff. The company has been one of the major players in the growing U.S. value-priced moist snuff segment, as well as an active participant in an emerging U.S. subcategory of smokeless tobacco, Swedish snus. Swedish snus have more than a century-old tradition in Sweden.

Communities are often defined, at least in part, by the businesses that call them home. The history of our great commonwealth has been closely intertwined with tobacco since the first days of Jamestown. Tobacco has played and continues to play an important role in Virginia’s economy. Thou sands of our citizens are connected to the industry, either by helping grow tobacco, by working for a tobacco company, or by selling goods and services to others who do.