A number of factors operating at the international, national, and local levels all contributed to the decline of flue-cured tobacco in Copán. The 1980s and early 1990s were a time of great uncertainty and upheaval in the tobacco industry in general. Increasingly strident anti-smoking public health campaigns, together with the gathering cloud of health-related law suits against tobacco companies caused great uncer- tainty in the industry. The turmoil of the 1980s and 1990s forced BAT to pay closer attention to its business model and the performance of its local subsidiaries. And this meant an end to the heyday of easy credit and friendly, patronizing relationships with Copán Valley growers since BAT was no longer willing to provide cheap or no cost credit and now insisted that growers get commercial credit from local banks. Contracts became less favorable to the growers and quality standards were more tightly enforced.