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Commonly Known As:
cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, snuff, chew, smokes, cancer sticks.
Access to Drug:
Tobacco is a legal substance and sold commercially. However, it is
illegal for stores to sell cigarettes or other tobacco products to
anyone under the age of 18. It is highly addictive.
Scientific Name:
Tobacco comes from the Nicotiana tabacum plant and a number of its
variants. Nicotine is one of the ingredients in the tobacco leaves, and
the addictive product found in the plant. Tobacco is a stimulant and
affects the same areas of the brain as cocaine and amphetamines but not
as intensely.
Interesting Facts:
Recorded history shows tobacco was one of the gifts offered to
Christopher Columbus by the Indians when he landed in the West Indies in
1492. It was brought back to Europe where it was used for medicinal and
recreational purposes and quickly spread to Russia, Japan, Africa and
China. The first smoking ban occurred in New York in 1639 but was
ignored. In 1881, the cigarette rolling machine was invented, and the
use of cigarettes skyrocketed. Despite current research affirming the
addictive qualities and life threatening diseases caused by cigarettes,
tobacco continues to be a widely abused drug worldwide. Studies have
shown that smoking in the teen years is more addictive than starting in
adulthood; evidence shows most smokers acquire their habit before the
age of 20.
Methods of Use:
Smoked in commercially rolled cigarettes, hand rolled from loose
tobacco, in pipes, chewed and absorbed through the gums, and in some
instances, used as an enema.
Common Effects When
Intoxicated:
The nicotine and other chemicals in the tobacco initially cause a “kick”
due to its stimulation effects. Heart rate increases slightly, and there
is a release of adrenaline in the body, producing a mildly pleasurable
effect. There is a suppression of hunger and an increase in metabolism
which dissipates after several hours.
Duration of
Intoxication:
The effects of tobacco can be felt for several hours or shorter,
depending on the level of addiction and the need to maintain a certain
level of nicotine in the blood to avoid withdrawal.
Withdrawal:
Withdrawal from tobacco is believed to more difficult than any other
drug or alcohol. Someone who has developed at least a pack-a-day habit
will feel nervous, fatigued, hungry, suffer headaches, severe
irritability, poor concentration, sleep disturbances, and an intense
nicotine craving for up to six months. The two most common reasons
people keep smoking is because of fear of gaining weight when they quit
and to avoid the withdrawal symptoms. Those fears often will lead to
relapse among users who are trying to quit.
Effects of Long
Term Use:
Cardiovascular disease, poor circulation, respiratory impairment,
cancer, and premature death. The dangerous side effects of tobacco are
slow and take 20 to 40 years to surface, even after someone has stopped
smoking. Smokers have more medical complications, and, are less able to
participate in physical activities which affects their quality of life.
Abuse,
Dependence, and Addiction:
Addiction can develop quickly, or slowly depending on the reasons a
person starts using tobacco. Although a first time user will experience
nausea, headache, dizziness and coughing, continued use diminishes the
bad effects of the experience as the body adapts to the chemicals in the
tobacco. The addiction is both physical and psychological, due to the
social acceptance of tobacco.
Associated Risks:
The U.S. Surgeon General’s Office, OSHA and the International Agency for
Research on Cancer have found that second hand smoke does cause cancer
and is responsible for asthma and bronchitis in the children of smokers.
It is also estimated one non-smoker for every eight smokers will die
from cardio vascular disease aggravated by second hand smoke.
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