The tobacco industry is composed of several different parts. At the core of the industry are primary suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors (both wholesale and retail). Advertising agencies and media outlets that promote the purchase and use of tobacco products also play an important role in the industry. Finally, law firms, public relations firms, and lobbying firms work from inside the tobacco industry to protect manufacturers and distributors of tobacco products from public-health regulation and control.

The Philip Morris company, which owns this plant in Concord, North Carolina, is the largest cigarette manufacturer in the country, producing up to 165 billion cigarettes a year.

Although its overall popularity is declining in the United States, cigarette use is increasing worldwide at over 2 percent per year, especially in much of Asia, Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet republics. An integrated system of suppliers, manufacturers, marketers, and sales outlets is...