Positive and Negative Aspects of the Chemical Nicotine
Nicotine, one of the most unusual psychoactive drugs known, and the primary pharmacological agent of addiction in cigarettes, triggers powerful physical and psychological reactions in species as diverse as cockroaches and humans.
Nicotine has been proven to boost concentration, improve memory and control body weight, as well as alleviating the symptoms of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease sufferers. However, research has also established that nicotine adversely affects babies in utero and may explain the link between smoking and problems such as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Attention Deficit Disorder.
The hope for the future is that scientists will be able to separate nicotine’s positive properties from its adverse effects, and develop drugs for the treatment of everything from Alzheimer’s disease to weight control .
The chemical’s empirical formula, C10Hl4N2 was determined in the 1840’s, and “nicotine” was synthesized in the 1890’s. Nicotine’s systematic name is 3-(1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl) pyridine.
Together with caffeine and strychnine, nicotine belongs to a group of chemical compounds called pyrrolidine alkaloids. They’re bitter-tasting, often poisonous substances that are made by plants to discourage animals from eating them. Nicotine is a liquid alkaloid which can be obtained from the dried leaves of the tobacco plant, primarily found in a combined form of malate or citrate.
One cigarette contains approximately 1.2 milligrams of nicotine, which, if injected in pure form, is as toxic as hydrogen cyanide, and could kill seven adults. When you smoke, however, you get an extremely diluted dose, about 1 billionth of the nicotine content quoted on the cigar...
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Tobacco is connected with a number of negative effects in humans and a few other organisms. For example, the long list of negative effects range from birth defects and lessened lung capacity, to sexual impotence. All of the previously mentioned result from extended tobacco exposure in varying mediums and although they are negative effects associated with tobacco, it has also been proven that tobacco to acts as a stimulant to some animals (Nice 135). In studying how tobacco effects the body of any living being and its uses, over time new developments may progress that would allow us to use tobacco only for its positive effects while bypassing its negative ones.
Electronic cigarettes are more accessible to kids aged 18 and under. Today in the U.S there is a debate about cigarettes being outlawed. Although people in the U.S believe that e cigs should be outlawed because they are easier to access for kids under the age 18 they are causing kids to get hurt by e cigs; however some people might say E-cigs are enjoyable and are better than regular cigarettes.
According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, it stated that the nicotine in smoking cigarettes can be very dangerous, damaging to the human body. It’s known that smoking can cause chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease and stroke. In addition, smoking also causes cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth, and bladder. Smoking tobacco products is also known to contribute to cancer of cervix, pancreas and kidneys. People that don’t smoke tobacco products can also be harmed by second hand smoke. Women who smoke while pregnant, put their baby at risk of have health problems.
Nicotine is a highly toxic substance (LD40) which can affect the brain, central and autonomic nervous system
Before D.A.R.E., I was not mindful of the extensive damage cigarettes and other tobacco products cause. Cigarette smoke contains over 200 harmful chemicals, including rat poison. Because of nicotine, cigarettes are highly addictive. As a result, smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S. It causes over 400,000 deaths annually.
Borio, Gene, “Tobacco Timeline: The Twentieth Century 1900-1949—The Rise of the Cigarette.” Chapter 6. 1993-2003.
Smoking tobacco in the cigarette form was extremely popular in the early part of the 20th century. Many people joined in the popular habit, got addicted, and had no fear of the future consequences or health concerns. Many people were under the impression that smoking was good for their bodies, and were unaware of the unhealthy side affects that cigarette smoking caused. Some famous people like Walt Disney, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth all were killed from their love of tobacco. Soon enough more and more cases of lung, throat, and mouth cancers began popping up all over the place, but people were reluctant to blame their beloved tobacco. It wasn’t until 1964 when Surgeon General Luther Terry stated that smoking causes lung cancer in people who smoke and inhale the fumes, that perceptions on smoking began to change. Since the findings of the Surgeon General, there has been an on going battle between pro-smoking, and anti-smoking groups over the rights of smokers. As the non smoking movement is growing at a rapid pace, and smoking bans have been ruled to not violate the 1st Amendment. In the last decade we have banned smoking in almost all public areas from bars and restaurants, offices, malls, and living quarters. The smoking bans are one effective way to abolish smoking, but it fails to address the major component in smoking; addiction to nicotine, and the psychological effect it has on users. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy way to end smoking. This is because treatment plans have such a small level of success. Medical treatment such as prescription medication often have more side effects than positive effects for the user. But one product has been making huge gains in the fight to quit tobacco, and that is the electronic cigarette...
Encyclopaedia of Children’s (2013) stated that smoking is a form of inhalation of smoking from different forms of tobacco which include cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Cancer Research (2012) and the World Health Organisation (2013) have confirmed that most tobacco products contain very high level of nicotine which can have additive effect and are made from tobacco leaf which are s...
Nicotine is addictive whether the user uses tobacco products or just smokes cigarettes. Addiction is what makes someone continuously smoke even when they are trying to quit. For some people, breaking the cycle is harder than others. Many people don’t know the various methods to quit smoking. When tobacco products are used, nicotine is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. In the matter of ten seconds of entering the body, nicotine reaches the brain. This causes the brain to release adrenaline, creating a buzz of pleasure and energy. The buzz evaporates quickly, leaving behind a tired feeli...
Cigarette smoking stay the top preventable cause of sickness and early death in the United States because not only it asserts over 400,000 lives a year but it enhances the danger of someone dying from illnesses such as heart disease, stroke emphysema and a diversity of cancers (Douglas E.Jorenby) . Despite information about the bad side effects of smoking on health, 25% of adults in the United States keep on smoking. One of the reason why people seems to not easily quit smoking and continue to do it has to do with the addictive nicotine, a substance found in all types of tobacco products.
The most common form of tobacco used is the cigarette. Smoking for most people gives satisfaction and pleasure. The tobacco chemicals that are released into the brain when inhaled cause a happy or joyous feeling to the person. People often turn to cigarettes to suppress hunger or relieve stress (Dichter). After a short period of time, a person can become addicted to the satisfaction they get from smoking a cigarette. Certain tobacco products contain toxins, carcinogens, and poisons that are all extremely harmful to the human body. 60 chemicals that are contained in a tobacco cigarette are cancer-causing agents (Wexner). It is these chemicals that make cigarettes as well as other tobacco products so addicting to their users. Over time the need for a cigarette increases and the harder it becomes to quit smoking. Some users turn to smoking alternatives in order to quit. The first thing a smoker will reach for is something that looks and feels similar to a normal cigarette.
Cigarette addiction is responsible for over four million deaths every year. The question most people ask is why don’t people just put down their cigarettes? Well, the answer to that often asked question is nicotine. Nicotine is a neurotransmitter that targets certain receptors in the brain. It is a chemical messenger that induces feelings of pleasure. When someone takes a hit off of a cigarette, they ingest the harmful chemicals that can cause cancer and other serious health threats. They only inhale these chemicals to get one thing and one thing only, nicotine.
Hess Dean R., M. N. (2012). Respiratory Care: Principles and Practice 12th Edition. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.
Smoking cigarettes is a very deadly addiction that, unfortunately, affects 42.1 million adults in the United States and 6.4 million children. The reason why so many people get addicted to cigarettes is because of nicotine. Medicinenet.com says that nicotine is “made by the tobacco plant or produced synthetically”. Nicotine has powerful pharmacologic effects (including increased heart rate, heart stroke volume, and oxygen consumption by the heart muscle), as well as powerful psychodynamic effects (such as euphoria, increased alertness, and a sense of relaxation). Nicotine is also powerfully addictive.”
“Dangers of Smoking Cigarettes for Smokers” healthliteracy.worlded.org. Copyright 1995 by Marjorie Jacobs revised 1997, n.d web 14 April 2011