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Cigarettes
and Other Nicotine Products
Nicotine
is one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the United States.
Cigarette smoking has been the most popular method of taking nicotine
since the beginning of the 20th century. In 1998, 60 million Americans
were current cigarette smokers (28 percent of all Americans aged 12
and older), and 4.1 million were between the ages of 12 and 17 (18
percent of youth in this age bracket).
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. In addition, the report
determined that smoking was a major cause of stroke and the third
leading cause of death in the United States.
Smokers
Lung -- White patches are cancer cells.
Health
Hazards
Nicotine is highly addictive. It is both a stimulant and a sedative
to the central nervous system. The ingestion of nicotine results
in an almost immediate "kick" because it causes a discharge
of epinephrine from the adrenal cortex. This stimulates the central
nervous system, and other endocrine glands, which causes a sudden
release of glucose. Stimulation is then followed by depression and
fatigue, leading the abuser to seek more nicotine. Nicotine is absorbed
readily from tobacco smoke in the lungs, and it does not matter
whether the tobacco smoke is from cigarettes, cigars, or pipes.
Nicotine also is absorbed readily when tobacco is chewed. With regular
use of tobacco, levels of nicotine accumulate in the body during
the day and persist overnight. Thus, daily smokers or chewers are
exposed to the effects of nicotine for 24 hours each day. Nicotine
taken in by cigarette or cigar smoking takes only seconds to reach
the brain but has a direct effect on the body for up to 30 minutes.
Women
who smoke generally have earlier menopause. If women smoke cigarettes
and also take oral contraceptives, they are more prone to cardiovascular
and cerebrovascular diseases than are other smokers; this is especially
true for women older than 30.
Pregnant women who smoke cigarettes run an increased risk of having
stillborn or premature infants or infants with low birthweight.
Children of women who smoked while pregnant have an increased risk
for developing conduct disorders. National studies of mothers and
daughters have also found that maternal smoking during pregnancy
increased the probability that female children would smoke and would
persist in smoking.
In addition to nicotine, cigarette smoke is primarily composed of
a dozen gases (mainly carbon monoxide) and tar. The tar in a cigarette,
which varies from about 15 mg for a regular cigarette to 7 mg in
a low-tar cigarette, exposes the user to a high expectancy rate
of lung cancer, emphysema, and bronchial disorders. The carbon monoxide
in the smoke increases the chance of cardiovascular diseases.
The Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that secondhand
smoke causes lung cancer in adults and greatly increases the risk
of respiratory illnesses in children and sudden infant death.
Extent
of Use
In 1998, an estimated 60 million Americans, or 28 percent of all
Americans aged 12 and older, were current smokers. Approximately
18 percent (4.1 million) of youths 12 to 17 years old were current
smokers in 1998.
The 1998 survey shows that current smokers are more likely to drink
heavily and use illicit drugs than non-smokers.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
· National Institutes of Health
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