The tobacco giant Reynolds American agreed today to buy its rival, Lorillard, bringing together two of the country’s biggest tobacco producers at a weakening time for the industry.

The deal, worth an estimated $27.4 billion, is expected to reshape the tobacco industry amid a longtime decline in smoking among Americans due to smoking bans, health concerns and social stigma.

The Wall Street Journal’s Jason Bellini and  Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson discuss what the merger of two of the nation’s oldest and biggest tobacco companies means for tobacco’s future.

• More on the merger at the Wall Street Journal

Guest

• Jason Bellini, video reporter and senior producer for the Wall Street Journal. He tweets @jasonbellini.

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