Tobacco

What is Tobacco? Tobacco starts as a plant. The tobacco plant naturally contains Nicotine. Tobacco products are made from dried up leaves from the tobacco plant that are ground up and treated with a variety of different chemicals, unique for each product.

History of Tobacco Tobacco has been smoked for over 2000 years Tobacco was originally smoked by just rolling the fresh leaves off of a plant After tobacco became a popular commercial product and source of revenue (money), companies began changing their products with additives to make their product more marketable. (burn/last longer, different taste, etc.)

What is Nicotine? A colorless, tasteless, substance found in tobacco Nicotine has been proven to be addictive It sets off a chemical reaction in the brain that can cause a light- headed feeling in the user Nicotine addiction causes dependence and tolerance Dependence means that the person gets used to the chemical reaction in the brain and feels the need for it over and over Tolerance is when a person gets used to something. In this case, the person will need more and more to get the same effect

Tobacco Products Smokeable products Cigarettes Pipe Tobacco Cigars There are two general categories of tobacco products and many products within each category: Smokeable products Cigarettes Pipe Tobacco Cigars Smokeless products Chewing tobacco Snuff

Chemicals Found in Tobacco Chemicals in smokeable tobacco products: Carbon Monoxide – takes oxygen out of the air Tar – coats lungs, making them sticky, black and hard to move – not to mention more vulnerable to lung cancer Arsenic – a substance found in rat poison Ammonia – a substance found in many poisonous cleaning products Butane – a.k.a. lighter fluid Formaldehyde – used to preserve dead bodies Freon – found in freezers; damages earth’s ozone layer

Tobacco Myths Just One Time Won’t Hurt While you almost certainly won’t die from the first use, your body is immediately impacted by the use of tobacco. Whether it is the brain becoming dependent on the nicotine, yellow teeth, yellow fingernails or just your “stankiness,” the impact of tobacco use is noticeable right away.

Tobacco Myths Go Smokeless So You Don’t Get Cancer Some people turn to smokeless tobacco under the false assumption that if you don’t inhale it, it can’t hurt you. While it might not give you lung cancer, smokeless tobacco has been shown to cause cancer of the mouth, decay in exposed tooth roots, gums to recede from teeth and sores in the mouth that can lead to cancer.

Tobacco Myths Limited use of tobacco products is not harmful Nicotine is addictive so it’s going to eventually lead to increased usage. More cigarettes means even greater addiction, and the cycle ever increases. With each cigarette you smoke, you increase your risk of related-diseases.

Tobacco Myths Smoking is only harmful to the smoker Second hand smoke is actually just as dangerous to those who inhale as to the primary offender. Many times children are the ones that are most affected by this situation. And the residual effects of smoking are borne by all of society in increased medical costs. And more recently, third-hand smoke has come into question. Apparently, however you are exposed to it, it can be deadly.

Tobacco Myths I can quit any time False. As noted earlier, one of the ingredients in tobacco is nicotine, an addictive drug. Shear will power alone usually cannot quell the urge to light up another cigarette. Often, assistance from a medical professional is required to break the smoking habit. If you are a smoker, ask your doctor what might be the best way for you to put down that pack. Don’t let these myths trick you into smoking apathy. The facts are simple—smoking of any type will inevitably have a negative impact on your health. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying.

Effects of Tobacco Physical effects: Yellow teeth and nails Bad breath and smell bad Tar on lungs (smokeable) Gum disease Tooth decay Emphysema High blood pressure/ heart rate Cancer Lung Throat Mouth Mental effects: Addiction Dependence Tolerance

Financial Effect On top of everything else, the average cost of a pack of cigarettes in the state of washington is $9.89! (June 2011) That is nearly $.50 PER CIGARETTE! In 2007, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the heath care costs associated with smoking were $10.28 per pack. If every smoker would smoke one less cigarette per day it would cost the tobacco industry one to two billion dollars per year.

Just Say No? Is all of this worth it? Do you know how to avoid peer pressure? What are the benefits of using tobacco? Why would someone else want you to use it?