It does, but not really to smoking. Tobacco is far safer chewed or insufflated than smoked, and cigarettes have a bunch of additional terrible chemicals in them.

It is not in fact safe to chew tobacco.

You can get gum and other mouth cancers.

Any burning organic matter will contain carcinogens. Breathing a constant supply of wood smoke will wreak havoc on one's lungs.

I'd be curious to find out if there's any place with a history of consumption of fresh tobacco leaves as a food item.

No. You would get tobacco sickness.