Tobacco and tobacco products contribute in succoring the economy by collecting more foreign currency. India is the third largest producer and eighth largest exporter of tobacco and tobacco products in the world. Raw tobacco is producing in abundance in the states of andhra pradesh, gujarat and karnataka. These states also produce fcv tobacco, bidi tobacco, natu tobacco, cigars tobacco, and cheroot and snuff tobacco. Other states manufacturing tobacco includes maharashtra, orissa, tamil nadu, west bengal, up and bihar. Cottage industries manufacture custom-made tobacco products like chewing tobacco, cigar, cheroot, flux, etc.

Tobacco is available in different types, because of india's diverse climate. They are such as, nicotine tobacem, nicotine restica, and flue cured virginia (used for cigarette manufacturing) etc. Tobacco can be consumed in two ways either by smoking or chewing. Smoking tobacco products that are consumed are cigarettes, cigars, bidi or a hookah, which can be hand rolled or leaf wrapped. Other than cigarettes or cigars, products that are chewed include raw tobacco, supari or arecanut, gutkha etc. The other products being jurak, chuna, pan masala, snuff flakes etc contribute a lot in the tobacco products.

Cigarettes come in wide range flavors, fruits like strawberry, wild cherry, grape, coconut, raspberry, mango etc., spice flavors like cardamom, clove, aniseed, cinnamon etc. This can damage the lungs and can also potentially cause lung disorders, and contribute to existing disorders such as asthma. Tobacco can also be chewed or sniffed into the nose as finely powdered snuff. Many tobacco smokers and some other users become addicted and use every day. Nicotine provides an almost immediate kick because it causes a discharge of epinephrine from the adrenal cortex. This stimulates the central nervous system and endocrine glands, which causes a sudden release of glucose. Stimulation is then followed by depression and fatigue, leading the user to seek more nicotine.

Tobacco products are the only products, which kill when used as intended, up to one-half of users. The alkaloid nicotine is the most characteristic constituent of tobacco and is responsible for its addictive nature. The possible harmful effects of the nicotine, tarry compounds, and carbon monoxide in tobacco smoke vary with the individual's tolerance. Only a small fraction of the nicotine contained in tobacco products can cause most clinically significant cases of nicotine poisoning.