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| Tobacco |
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Lighting Up A Cigarette |
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| What It Is |
| Tobacco is the dried leaves of a plant that grows in may
parts of the world. Tobacco contains a variety of chemicals, including nicotine
which is an addictive drug with a mild stimulant effect. |
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| Street Names |
| Cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, and
snuff. |
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| How It Is Taken |
| Smoked, sniffed, chewed, and dipped. |
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| What It Does |
Tobacco smoke consists of droplets of tar, nicotine,
carbon monoxide and other gases. Nicotine is the substance that causes
dependency. The amount of nicotine and other substances that is absorbed
through the lungs depends on how much and how deeply the smoke is inhaled.
Because nicotine is a stimulant some smokers feel tobacco helps relieve
boredom, tiredness, and reduce stress and anxiety. The effects are almost
immediate but fade quickly, which encourages continual use.
Some
people may experience nausea and dizziness when they inhale tobacco smoke for
the first few times.
The more a person smokes, the more likely they
are to suffer from heart disease, blood clots, cancer, strokes, bronchitis, bad
circulation and ulcers.
Users can develop strong psychological as well
as physical dependence. Withdrawal symptoms include irritability, depression
and craving for tobacco. Tobacco use is a leading cause of death in the United
States. |
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| Medical Uses |
| None |
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Did you Know?
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47.3% of 8th graders have tried tobacco.
60.2% of 10th graders have tried
tobacco.
65.4% of 12th
grades have tried tobacco. |
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