tobacco was widely used in the americanas by the indigenous tribes of the land before european arrival - highly valorized, seeing as it was also used for medicinal purposes and religious ceremonies in which it became hallucinogenic when consumed in high doses.

the french, spanish, and portuguese also initially believed deeply in its medicinal value, referring to it as the 'sacred herb' - a spanish doctor even wrote a book describing the 36 ailments that were curable via tobacco.

readily used as a trade item within north america, with tribes carrying large amounts of the stuff to trade and to seal bargains - at times tobacco was even used as a form of currency.