The History of Tobacco and How It Effects Our Lives

Tobacco

The word tobacco was originally derived from Tabaco, the Spanish word for taino (Carson 1). In the first century, American Indians began using tobacco in many ways, including religion and medicine (“History of Tobacco” 1). Taino was what the Natives in America called tobacco rolls. When Columbus arrived in the West Indies, he found inhabitants smoking rolls of tobacco, called taino (Carson 1). He was offered dried tobacco leaves as a gift from the natives (“History of Tobacco” 1). The natives believed that ‘drinking smoke’, or the act of smoking taino, was relaxing. Columbus took seeds from the tobacco plants and the Spanish colonies began cultivating the plant in large quantities. The first time tobacco was commercially cultivated was in 1610 in Jamestown, Virginia, by John Rolfe, an English colonist. Two years later, he found a way to cure tobacco for exporting to other countries. The amount of exporting tobacco quickly made Jamestown a tobacco powerhouse (Carson 1). It soon became a cash crop, and large demand for exportation spurred the need of slave labor in America (“A Brief History of Tobacco” 1). Tobacco grew in popularity in Europe because of its healing properties. At the time, tobacco was believed to treat bad breath, relieve pain, and cure cancer (“History of Tobacco” 2). Little did they know that hundreds of years later, tobacco would become the leading cause of preventable deaths (“Cancer” 1).

Smoking causes cancer, COPD, stroke, and heart attacks, as well as many other health risks. Secondhand smoke and smoking during pregnancy cause childhood diseases and conditions that the children will live with for the rest of their lives (“Nicotine Dependence Center” 1). As the Mayo Clinic points out, “Nearly 21...

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...tter off compared to that profile. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have their risk profile” (qtd in Wanjek 4). In fact, a new study has shown that the nicotine found in e-cigs may contribute to heart disease (Christensen 1). Also, there is still some skepticism as to whether or not e-cigs actually help smokers quit (Olson B5). Many people who switched from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes either became hooked on e-cigs, or went back to smoking cigarettes (Wanjek 5). However, Matt Black, president of the Minnesota Vapers Advocacy Group, has sworn by the e-cig as a way to quit tobacco. He states, “For 17 years, I was constantly hand to mouth (with a cigarette). I was blowing out smoke. I was breathing differently. All of those things play a role in that addiction. We found a way to maintain these habits in a way that’s not going to kill us” (qtd in Olson B5).