Harmful Effects of Tobacco and Nicotine

Tobacco is an agricultural plant that has more than 70 species. It is grown all over the world and is widely known for nicotine which is the addictive ingredient it contains. Tobacco can be processed, dried, rolled, and smoked as cigars, cigarettes, and chewing and shisha tobacco, the forms of tobacco are shown in Figure 1. Additionally, after being processed, it can also be used in making some pesticides and medications. Tobacco, in all its forms, has many harmful side effects that harm many body organs including the lungs and heart. When talking about cigarettes specifically, which is the main use of tobacco worldwide, tobacco is the greatest cause of preventable death in the United States and all over the world, and in cigarettes, nicotine is the main ingredient. People have come up lately with various substitutions to cigarettes, after realizing their harm; however, none of which have proven to be less dire since there is only one solution for these harmful effects that many fail to acknowledge. Tobacco, even after being closely related to addiction, teenagers, cancer, and harming others, is one of the most dangerous crops ever planted.

Addictiveness of tobacco:

Although many claim the opposite, smoking tobacco has been proved scientifically to be addictive. Addiction is when a person is physically and mentally dependent on a particular substance and is unable to stop taking it without incurring unpleasant effects. Once the body tastes nicotine, the addictive chemical found in cigarettes, it craves for more. Nicotine creates a pleasurable feeling that appeals to the smoker. However, since nicotine is the only addictive drug in tobacco, if extracted from tobacco then tobacco won't be addictive. Each cigarette contains 10 milli...

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... Young marijuana smokers are four times more likely to get addicted, along with low income people and people in developing countries. Low income people are more likely to become addicted because they regard smoking as a getaway from their worries and problems, while those in developing countries do so because they lack the sufficient amount of awareness and knowledge that advises them not to do so, so they accept smoking as part of their normal daily routine. Thus, I believe that if people in developing countries had more awareness and knowledge of the risk they’re putting themselves in; most of these people would try to quit smoking. Also, people should be told that smoking doesn’t make one’s worries disappear; instead, one’s health worsens and might cost one’s life. As more people become addicted to smoking, the number of people using tobacco in general increases.