Is It Illegal to Grow Tobacco In California And How To Do it?

If there is one question that many Californian smokers have in common, perhaps it is “Is It Illegal To Grow Tobacco In California?” This is due to the fact that the price of a pack of cigarettes can actually take a considerable chunk of their paycheck depending on each of their own individual smoking habit. Yes, it may be one expensive habit to have, but to many of these smokers, the price is not the only consideration they have in mind when asking such question. Another thing to take into consideration is the taste of the tobacco itself.

Non-smokers may find this incredibly odd. To them, a tobacco must taste like tobacco just like chocolate tastes like chocolate. However, that is not the case. Being grown on such massive scale commercial farms in the United States, quantity trumps quality is almost always the standard practice – business is business after all. With the ever increasing demands from the market, growing more and more tobacco and processing it into cigarettes will generate more profit. Not to mention, cigarettes in this day and age is filled to the brim with numerous juices, additives and preservatives in order to boost its tastes and lengthen its shelf life. When a product has longer shelf life, the more profit these corporations make at the end of the day.

Despite the extremely strict regulation surrounding and smoking, the percentage of cigar and cigarette smokers have not dropped one bit. Numerous studies found states such as Kentucky and West Virginia have been leading the statistics with 30.2-percent and 29.9-percent of their residents admitting their smoking habit, whereas California and Utah surprisingly only sit at 15-percent and 12.2-percent accordingly. It is no wonder that the corporations favor the strict tobacco trading laws; having the monopoly means they can aim for higher profit. This leads to sky-rocketing price tag per carton and makes you wonder if there is a way to make it on your own.

Perhaps you are a long time smoker of one particular product and is annoyed because the cigarettes do not taste the same from one pack to another or perhaps you are someone who enjoys smoking yet cannot actually afford purchasing packs after packs every so often, whichever reason led you to wondering whether or not it is illegal for any California resident to grow their own tobacco plants and brought you here, you may breathe a sigh of relief because this article is written exclusively for you.

Understanding the Rules on Growing Tobacco Plants

In the United States, tobacco which are allowed to be marketed are all grown by large scale commercial farms that belong to a few corporations. Not only do these corporation own the required license to grow tobacco plants for business, they also own the required license to trade or market their tobacco. Unlike many other countries in the world, tobacco is one of the few entities in the United States which are heavily regulated. Understanding the rules surrounding tobacco plants before you make a decision on giving any of those Do-It-Yourself Cigarettes articles you found on the internet a try is something that is non-negotiable. No one of us would want to get an incidental brush with legal matters for that pack of cigarettes substitute after all.

All of these may seem more complicated and serious than they thought it would be. But before you take a step back and reconsider giving up those expensive commercially prepared and sold cigarettes, you ought to keep reading. Here is the thing: while tobacco marketing and sale are heavily regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration as well as by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms – home growing tobacco plants merely for personal use is not actually not.

Does it seem too good to be true? It really does not if you understand the Federal rules when it comes to this particular crop. This is largely due to the fact that neither the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration restrict homeowners from actually growing their own tobacco. As of 2005, the regulation only states that as long as the homeowner in question does not trade or sell their crop, they are good to go. To top it all off, the regulation also does not mention anything about quantity restriction. With that being said, homeowners may grow whichever type of tobacco and whichever quantity they desire.

Understanding the Local Law and Possible Restriction

Perhaps the most dreaded part of any discussion is when you are hit with “but wait, there is more!” In that case we hate to burst your bubble, but before you go out the door to purchase whichever tobacco strains come to mind, we have to round up the topic above with one cold hard fact. And that is, while neither of those two aforementioned bodies restrict homeowners from actually growing their own crop, many states and localities have their own regulation that may or may not restrict your abilities to grow and produce your own tobacco.

It may annoy you to the core, but it is what it is. Some local laws actually make a regulation regarding agricultural activities as well as garden activities. Not only that, those of you who live in a particular neighborhood may also be under strict regulations made by the homeowners’ association. You are strongly advised to check all City as well as neighborhood regulations pertaining both gardening and agricultural activities before making a decision to grow tobacco plants. In some cities it may be even more difficult for a homeowner to obtain the permission to grow tobacco, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

However, if you are living in California, you may rejoice because when it to the legal matter, the answer is definitely the latter. Yes, it is indeed legal for you to home-grow your own crop! It does not matter if you only have a small garden plot in your home, you can turn it into a plot to grow your own tobacco.

What type of tobacco seeds are suitable for California climate?

Now that you are armed with the knowledge surrounding the legal aspect of it, it is time for you to get yourself ready for the oncoming labor. The word “labor” may not be a suitable choice as growing tobacco plants is ridiculously easy – more so when you are a Californian. The fact that you are living in California is also one of the best thing that can ever happen to you as a home tobacco grower. Typically cultivated annually, the best tobacco in the world is grown in a warm climate with soil that is nothing short of rich and incredibly well-drained. California with it soil characteristic and warmer climate is at numerous advantages here, so why not give a DIY cigarettes tutorial a try?

Majority of people are unaware of how irresistably simple it is to grow their own tobacco and transform it into a junk-free, and incredibly cheap cigarette and cigar. But now that you are here, you have nothing to worry about because we are going to cover all of those aspects as well. To start, let’s look into some of the types of tobacco seeds which are suitable for the California soil and climate.

· Kentucky Burley

This is a popular choice for its thin and dark leaves as well as the fact that it cures well and yield a large quantity as well. Not only that, Kentucky Burley can also be used as a chewing tobacco and made into a great cigar wrapper.

· Louisiana Perique

This extremely rare and famous tobacco was initially grown by the Indians back in the day. Being one of the most potent tobacco, Louisiana Perique is typically fermented and then mixed with milder tobacco varieties these days.

· Tennesse Burley

Another Burley that is just as, if not more, popular than its Kentucky counterpart. This type of Burley also yields a large quantity although it is of much better quality and contains more amount of nicotine – which is the reason why it is widely favored as cigarettes. On top of that, this plant is incredibly easy to grow and vigorous.

· Orinoco (also referred to as Dark Virginia)

Dark Virginia comes with crinkly leaves which are incredibly thick in texture, this tobacco has a signature rich and dark tobacco taste which is favored by many pipe smokers all around the globe. Not only used by pipe smokers, this tobacco is also used as a blending tobacco for both cigarettes and cigars.

Other than the previously mentioned tobacco varieties, the Yellow Twist Bud, Florida Sumatra, Havana #608 and #501 as well as #503B, Connecticut Broadleaf, N. Shirazi, and Virginia Gold would be an excellent choice as well. However, it is worth noting that the Yellow Twist Bud and Connecticut Broadleaf grow well when they are well-shaded. As for the rest, they typically have no problem being left in the sun. Understanding the characteristic of each of your seeds is a must, however, do not feel compelled to stick with trying these seeds. Go ahead and give another try, who knows maybe they would do well in your soil.

Important things to know about growing tobacco in California

Whatever your stance in the smoking spectrum is, tobacco-related activities such as smoking cigarettes and cigars as well as chewing and piping will not go anywhere. Many non-smokers are wary about the secondhand smoke while smokers are wary about the extensive additives and preservatives used in mass produced tobacco products. Smoking has always been linked to various ailments such as cancer, however, the number of people who have been diagnosed with cancer is steadily increasing despite numerous studies found that the number of smokers are declining. What gives?

While we probably would never know the answer to this anomaly, ditching additives and preservatives and opting for the raw and organic tobacco should always be on the top of any smoker’s to-do list. The best way to go about it is, without a doubt, by growing your own tobacco plants in the backyard. Also, who would not want to save some bucks doing it? Smokers must at least spend 2-dollar for a pack of cigarettes that will be gone within a day, or two if we have not gotten the time to smoke. By growing your own, the price falls to just about 1-penny for a cigarette since one tobacco plant typically can be used to produce 100 to 200 cigarettes.

Some people would try to convince you that the effort one puts into home-growing tobacco plants is not worth it as, while the growing is generally effortless, the curing part of it is complicated. For beginners, this kind of statement sounds intimidating. If you are one of those people, you have nothing to worry about. With the right know-how, curing does not have to be tedious.

Curing tobacco is basically the act of drying the tobacco leaf. This process does not involve any sweating or fermenting, at all. There are two methods to go about this, the first method is air curing whereas the other method is sun curing. The most common method to use is the air cure method; this particular method is also an excellent choice for the following tobacco varieties:

· Burley varieties

· Maryland variety

· Virginia varieties, and many more.

A few varieties such as the Virginia can also be cured with the sun cure as heat is needed during the process. However, when homeowners opt for air cure method, it typically because of they want to shed some of the nicotine content in the tobacco so it will not be as potent. During air curing, the whole process can take for about two months as the tobacco leaves are hung in open air. As for the sun cure method, the leaves are laid down on a flat surface and are left exposed to the sun in order to properly remove some of the moisture content before they are then gathered and hung in open air to finish off the entire process.

The last method produces a distinctive end result. As an example, the most well-known sun cured tobacco in the world are Turkish Oriental tobacco. However, when it comes to this tobacco variety, it is finished with fermentation or sweating as opposed to the standard practice of hanging the leaves in the open air