What is tobacco?

The leaves are picked.

Dried.

And rolled

and packaged as cigarettes

As “chew” or “dip”

Or snuff.

Snuff was popular in ancient cultures.

So, tobacco can be smoked (inhaled).

Chewed

Or snuffed.

And now a new way:

Each tin contains 15 small sachets which look a bit like small tea bags, each containing flavored tobacco. When placed under the top lip for about 30 minutes the snus releases nicotine which is absorbed into the blood stream.

Still, cigarettes remain the most popular form of tobacco.

What’s the “drug” in tobacco?

Nicotine

What is a drug?A drug is a substance that causes an

effect in the body either by mimicking a natural substance or by interfering with a natural process.

Check out this video clip that demonstrates tobacco’s interference with the brain’s function…

What’s in a cigarette?

Remember these 3 things:

1. Nicotene2. Tar

3. Gases/Chemicals

Over 4,000 different gases/chemicals, such as…

TarThe yellow-brown sticky substance that stains our ceilings. It contains a mix of chemicals, including arsenic, cyanide and formaldehyde.

When we inhale smoke from a cigarette, about 70% of the tar stays in our lungs and reduces our lungs capacity to hold the air we need as well as contributing to a number of serious diseases.

Benzene Did you know that a brand of mineral water was taken off the market in 1990when some bottles were found to contain 4.7 micrograms of benzene, a cancer-causing solvent. There are 190 micrograms of benzene in one cigarette!

Carbon MonoxideWhen we smoke, poisonous carbon monoxide has a much greater ability to stick to our red blood cells than oxygen. This means that our red blood cells have to multiply to carry enough oxygen around our body. This makes our blood stickier. Our breathing gets more difficult and our heart has to work harder. This leads to circulation problems and heart disease.

What are the main dangers of smoking?

Lung Cancer: Smoking causes 87% of all lung cancer cases.

And other cancers.

Stroke

In summary, the main physical dangers are:

• Lung and other cancers• Respiratory (lung) diseases, like

emphysema (a breakdown of lung tissue)• Heart disease• Stroke

Other side effects:

Yellow Teeth

Yellow skin & wrinkles

Premature aging

If smoking is so dangerous, why do people smoke?

Some think it’s cool or sexy…

Yes, even cigars are marketed as sexy!

Some think smoking makes them seem more “grown-up”

Others smoke because their friends do

Still others think it’s no big deal…they can stop any time.

But most can’t…

Cigarette companies WANT you to smoke.

Efforts to reduce smoking:1. Increase taxes to make cigarettes even more expensive

2. Increase the size and type of warning labels

3. Pass stricter laws

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• http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/tobacco/smoking.html#