BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — According to government data from 2017, lung cancer is the deadliest form of the disease worldwide, and it’s also one of the most preventable.

Richard and Robert Grant, who own Grant’s Farm Produce in Bowling Green, sell products such as fruit, vegetables and firewood to their customers.

“It just tickles me to death when people say, ‘That’s the best tomato I’ve ever had,’” Richard Grant said. 

But one thing they refuse to grow is tobacco, which, according to the National Cancer Institute, is the leading cause of cancer and leading cause of death from cancer.

“You got to have some kind of conscience ... why would I want to do that?” Robert Grant said. 

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, despite a decrease of 45% over the past 20 years, farmers still grow more than 430 million pounds of tobacco each year in the U.S.

As a former smoker, Richard Grant said he knows firsthand how tobacco can affect people’s lives.

“It’s just not a good thing,” he said. 

He quit 15 years ago, which he said was no easy task. 

“It’s the hardest thing I ever did; it really was,” Richard Grant said. 

He now urges others to stay away from the harmful effects caused by tobacco.

“Every time I turn around, I got a friend that got cancer,” Richard Grant said. “I just warn people, if you can give it up, give up smoking. Give up tobacco products, period.”

It’s why he’d rather serve up fresh produce that’ll make someone happy and healthy.

“Gratification is our form of payment,” Richard Grant said. 

As of Oct. 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 4.2% of men and 0.2% of women use smokeless tobacco.