Tobacco

 

Medicinal uses

None.

 

Use of tobacco

Tobacco is usually smoked but it can also be chewed or sniffed (snuff). It's most often sold in the form of ready-made cigarettes or cigars and loose shredded leaves for roll-your-own cigarettes and pipe smoking. It is also sold in powdered form for use as snuff.

Until recent years considerable advertising by manufacturers of tobacco products extolled the 'cool' image of smoking in order to encourage purchase of their products. Most people who smoke tobacco first began doing so as teenagers, as young people are particularly susceptible to the promotion of smoking as a 'adult' thing to do.

At present about one third of people aged 16 or over in the UK smoke cigarettes. The overall number of smokers is slowly falling, as earlier in this century over 50 percent of the adult population smoked. Nearly one in five men and one in ten women today are classified as heavy smokers (more than 20 cigarettes each day).

Young person smoking

Most worrying - in view of the health consequences of taking this drug - is that 26 percent of 15 year-old boys and 30 percent of 15 year-old girls are presently regular smokers.

Twelve percent of children age between 11 and 15 years smoke regularly.

In recent years, significant political action has been taken to discourage the smoking of tobacco. In 1998 the European parliament voted to ban all forms of tobacco advertising throughout the European Union. This was intended to reduce the incentive for individuals to begin - or continue - to use this drug.

In March 2004, Ireland became the first country in Europe to impose an outright ban on smoking in workplaces. The Irish legislation made it an offence to smoke in workplaces, which had the effect of banning smoking in pubs and restaurants. In June 2004, Norway took similar action to that of Ireland and introduced a nationwide ban on smoking in restaurants and bars.

The UK has also taken steps to ban smoking. The national parliament of the UK has introduced laws that now ban smoking in all indoor public places. Many places - such as cinemas and public transport - have rarely permitted smoking in recent years, and so the new laws primarily affected places like pubs, restaurants, nightclubs and private members' clubs.

The UK ban on smoking in public places came into effect at different dates in the different parts of the UK. It first came into effect in Scotland in March 2006, then in Wales in April 2007 - and finally in England in July 2007.

What effect does it have?

Nicotine is the active drug within tobacco. When a user draws smoke into his or her lungs this drug quickly enters the bloodstream and takes effect almost immediately.

The physical effects of nicotine are to increase heart rate, thus raising blood pressure, and decrease appetite. It's mental action is to produce apparent stimulation and increased alertness.

As nicotine is an addictive substance, a regular tobacco user must maintain the level of this drug in the bloodstream in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms. As the concentration of nicotine in the bloodstream begins to fall - immediately after the last inhalation of smoke - a smoker will feel more and more uncomfortable. These withdrawal symptoms can only be relieved by taking in more nicotine - i.e. having another smoke.
And so it goes on - the vicious cycle of addiction.

 

Consequences of using tobacco

The use of tobacco has many negative consequences for the individual user and for society at large. Some of these have been exaggerated by anti-smoking campaigners in the past. There is no need for that, the facts are frightening enough.

Damage to health

Illnesses such as lung cancer, duodenal ulcers, emphysema and coronary heart disease are all related to smoking.

The tar present in tobacco smoke is a known carcinogen. Several other chemicals in tobacco smoke may also cause cancer. Smokers run a higher risk of contracting lung cancer than non-smokers.

Smoking causes shortness of breath and contributes toward many respiratory diseases.

Smoking accounts for the majority of deaths from emphysema (swelling of air sacs in the lung). Once a disease that affected only men, many emphysema deaths now occur among women.

Smoking is a major risk factor for damage to blood vessels. Arteries that carry blood to leg, arm and heart muscles become narrower and if a blockage occurs muscle cells will die. This can result in muscle damage, the loss of an arm or leg, or a heart attack.

Nicotine Dependence

Nine out of ten smokers say they want to stop smoking but have great difficulty in doing so.

Smokers who stop using tobacco experience distressing withdrawal symptoms. These include feelings of frustration, anger and anxiety, along with difficulty in concentrating and restlessness or agitation.

Social consequences

Financial consequences

• Smokers are more likely to be ill than non-smokers, with the associated increased costs to the UK health care system.
• Smoking is responsible for many fires each year in commercial and private premises. This destroys property and costs money - but it also costs lives.
• Smokers have twice the accident rate of non-smokers.
• Smokers are more likely to experience early retirement from work through disability.
• Smokers have higher rates of absenteeism from work than non-smoker.

Legal consequences