Source: Oakland Tribune Contact: Sun, 28 Jun 1998 Author: Associated Press Editor note: This article appeared on the same page with two other tobacco articles: "Tobacco Subsidies and Ethically Challenged 'Doctors'" and "Investing in Tobacco Just Being American" GOVERNMENT EXPLAINS TOBACCO-GROWING RIGHTS The federal government grants people the right to grow tobacco in specified amounts, known as quotas and allotments. The Depression era program was estab-lished to restrict annual production and stabilize prices. The program is supported largely by a fee farmers pay per pound. There are penalties for non-participation or exceeding one's quota. Quotas are the allowed poundage that can be raised by growers of burley, an aromatic tobacco cured on the stalk. Allotinents measure the pounds and acreage apportioned to growers of the other main variety of U.S. tobacco, flue-cured. These two varieties go into American blend cigarettes along with lesser aniounts of other leaf. - --- Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)