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Tobacco and E-cigarettes
Tobacco
Cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and snuff contain tobacco.
Tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly addictive.
Nicotine in all tobacco creates a brief sense of euphoria, or happiness. Tobacco users become addicted to this euphoria and require frequent doses of nicotine to maintain this feeling.
Nicotine narrows blood vessels, decreasing blood flow throughout the body. This decrease in blood flow can lead to heart attacks and poor circulation to body organs, arms, and legs. Nicotine has also been shown to damage the developing brain. There are numerous chemicals in tobacco harmful to every organ in the body.
Smoking
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), “Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death and disability in the United States.”
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, smokers are twice as likely to die of cancer as nonsmokers.
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The leading cause of cancer deaths is lung cancer, and 80% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. Smoking is also the main cause of many respiratory problems, such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These conditions shorten life and often cause a need for use of supplemental oxygen.
Smoking shortens life, but quitting has immediate positive effects on the body.
Smokeless Tobacco
Smokeless tobacco, such as chewing tobacco and snuff, contain nicotine and other dangerous chemicals that can lead to addiction and disease.
These products can cause diseases such as cancer of the mouth, esophagus, and pancreas.
People who have cancers of the mouth and esophagus sometimes have to have their vocal cords removed, making them unable to speak.
To learn more about the consequences of using smokeless tobacco, read the CDC’s Smokeless Tobacco: Health Effects.
E-Cigarettes
According to the CDC, using e-cigarettes is unsafe.
People who use e-cigarettes often do not know what other substances are in the vapor they are inhaling. This can lead to exposure to many dangerous chemicals. For example, almost all e-cigarettes contain nicotine.
Many incidents of lung damage and death have increased awareness of the dangers of e-cigarettes. There is much we do not know, but there are clear signs that e-cigarettes damage your lungs and your health. Watch PBS: Vaping Cost One Teen His Health and Dreams to learn how popular vape devices pose health risks and harm developing brains.
In addition, teens who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke as adults. Check out the CDC’s Quick Facts on the Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults.
Laws
In December of 2019 the Food and Drug Administration increased the age for purchase of all tobacco products to 21.
Studies have found that the younger a person is when they begin using tobacco, the longer they will use it and the more damage it causes to their health. That is why laws place restrictions on the who may purchase tobacco.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids reports a 78 percent increase in the use of e-cigarettes among high school students in one year. This alarming increase, along with the increase in health issues related to the use of e-cigarettes, has caused lawmakers to examine laws related to the sale of tobacco to young people.
Really That Bad?
Added Ingredients
Most people think cigarettes are merely tobacco and the paper to wrap it. It is thought that e-cigarettes are a healthy alternative to a cigarette. That is not true, though, because cigarettes and e-cigarettes are very complex and very unhealthy.
Cigarettes contain over 600 chemicals. Once you light a cigarette, it produces over 7000 chemicals. What is even more alarming is that some of those chemicals are known carcinogens. Carcinogens are known to cause cancer and other serious illnesses.
E-cigarettes contain liquid nicotine. Nicotine is very addictive. It also negatively impacts brain development and respiratory health. That can cause long-term harm to one’s health.
Inform Yourself
With so many people using tobacco is it really that bad?
- Research has shown serious negative effects of tobacco on multiple body organs, and even on nonusers living with users.
- Cigarettes cost more than $5.00 per package on average in Alabama. For someone who smokes a pack a day, the cost is close to $2,000 a year.
- Tobacco is very expensive, destroys your health, smells bad, causes addiction to nicotine, and yellows your teeth.
It is important to inform yourself about the risks of tobacco use. Consider the pros and cons, and decide for yourself whether using tobacco is worth the risks to your health and to the health of those around you.