Tobacco is a plant whose leaves are usually smoked but also can be made into products to chew, snuff or dip. The leaves contain nicotine, a very poisonous chemical often used as an insecticide. Nicotine is a stimulant.

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• Immediate effects of tobacco use include:

• Increased heart rate and rise in blood pressure

• Nausea

• Dizziness

• Relief of tension and tiredness

• Bad breath and stained teeth

 

Tobacco use can lead to diseases affecting the heart and lungs, with smoking being a major risk factor for heart attacks; strokes; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; emphysema; and several types of cancer, most commonly of the lungs, larynx, mouth and pancreas. The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco use caused 5.4 million deaths in 2004 and 100 million deaths over the course of the 20th century. Other long-term effecst include stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, lung and heart damage, and a reduced sense of taste and smell.

 

Online resources:

• www.smokefree.gov: A national quit site that offers live chat with experts

• www.quitnet.com: Offers a savings calculator and online support forum

• www.cancer.org: American Cancer Society

• Information on tobacco from Partership to End Addiction - Search

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