What It Is: One of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the United States. Cigarettes, a well-known form of tobacco, are the most widely used drug among adults and youth today. It is both a stimulant and a sedative to the central nervous system. In 1989, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report that concluded that cigarettes and other forms of tobacco, such as cigars, pipe tobacco, and chewing tobacco, are addictive and that nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction
Type of Drug: Nicotine, which has both stimulant and sedative properties
Method of Use: Smoked or chewed
What It Does: With regular use of tobacco, levels of nicotine accumulate in the body during the day and persist overnight. This means that daily smokers or chewers are exposed to the effects of nicotine for 24 hours each day. Nicotine inhaled by cigarettes or cigar smoking takes only seconds to reach the brain but has a direct effect on the body for up to 30 minutes. The “satisfaction” felt by smokers then wears off and needs to be replenished. The smoker then “lights up” again and the cycle repeats itself.
Health Risks: Research has shown that stress and anxiety affect nicotine tolerance and dependence. A stress hormone reduces the effects of nicotine; therefore, more nicotine must be consumed to achieve the same effect. This increases tolerance to nicotine and leads to increased dependence. Pregnant women who smoke cigarettes run an increased risk of having stillborn or premature births or infants with low birth weight. Short-term effects included increased heart rate and blood pressure, interference with blood flow and airflow in the lungs, and bad breath. The health damage due to cigarette smoking increases when regular smoking begins early in life. Young people who smoke experience a measurable impairment of lung function and are less likely to participate, much less excel, in athletics. Cigarette smoking is an addiction. The earlier children start using tobacco the more likely they are to become addicted. It makes you cough, become short of breath and catch colds more easily. Cigarette smoking can cause cancer. In the United States, more people die from smoking-related diseases than from alcohol, drugs, murder, car accidents, AIDS, and fires combined.
In addition to nicotine, cigarette smoke is made up of over 2000 chemicals and tar. The tar in a cigarette increases the user’s risk of getting lung cancer, Emphysema, and Bronchitis. It has also been concluded that secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in adults and greatly increases the risk of respiratory illnesses in children and sudden infant death.
Legal Status: Legal for people over the age of 18 years old
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