The Dangers Of Tobacco Use

Tobacco has been around in the world for over 2.5 million years. It was not until a few hundred years ago when the tobacco industry decided to put these crops into use and conjure up tobacco products for the community. A popular tobacco product in society is cigarettes, as they are cheap and simple to use. As long as one is over eighteen, acquiring cigarettes is a straightforward process for a reasonable price, albeit the sin tax. It was not until recently when cigarettes became widely controversial due to the plant containing nicotine, an addictive drug to the body. Aside from containing nicotine and other hazardous chemicals to the body, cigarettes also cause a whole host of health implications

There is presently much controversy regarding tobacco consumption and the effect that it has on first hand smokers and on the world as a whole. While millions of people from around the world are smokers and while the masses are generally familiar with the effects that tobacco has on society, people continue to accept smoking as one of the principal vices that society has to deal with. It is certainly worrying that people are presented with the harmful effects of smoking at a young age and that many come to ignore these effects later in their lives. Addiction and society's pressures influence individuals in expressing little to no interest in their wellbeing and in the wellbeing of individuals around them.

Tobacco consumption is the number one cause of preventable deaths in the United States. In the United States, cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year. That is around one in five deaths annually only because of smoking. On an average, the person who smokes dies ten years earlier than a non-smoker. These statistics are not mere numbers but speak about the gravity of the situation. The United States government should portray a more negative view on Tabaco to save the lives of many people worldwide (Centre for Disease and Prevention, second paragraph).

Many drugs are used, misused, and abused in American society today. Some of these carry stigma in the general population, forcing users into an underground drug subculture. Others are accepted and almost promoted under certain circumstances. Tobacco is one of those drugs. Tobacco will be discussed in the context of cigarette smoking. This is not to undermine the existence or danger of other forms of tobacco, but instead to have an exhaustive discussion of cigarette smoking and its societal impact. Cigarettes are a means of inhaling tobacco, where it enters the lungs and is absorbed through the blood vessels, traveling to the heart, from which it is finally pumped to the brain (Hogan, Gabrielsen, Luna, and Grothaus 2003:76). Cigarettes are detrimental to society because they not only affect the user who chooses to smoke; they impact people around them through second-hand and residual smoke. The damage done by cigarettes is not impossible to address. Successful prevention measures are already in place, but this paper intends to suggest other more direct measures, especially related to statutory regulations.

More and more health risks caused by tobacco are being discovered every day. Some risks are that you can get blood clots and aneurysms in the brain, blood clots in the legs, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, poor blood supply to the legs, decreased ability to taste and smell, harm to sperm, loss of sight due to an increased risk of macular degeneration, tooth and gum diseases, wrinkling of the skin, and many more. (Zieve)

Tobacco and the U.S share a rich history; it dated back to the 17th century when the first commercial crop was planted. Many people claim tobacco had an influence in the colonization of North America and without it; the colonies would not have survived. While our history with tobacco is long and rich, it doesn’t erase the fact that it kills more people annually than cocaine, heroin, meth and all other illegal drugs combined. In the argument of whether or not tobacco should be banned, many people are evenly split. Tobacco could become a black market if banned, and it is widely practiced in Native American ceremonies, while the high mortality rates, and the financial burden have others petitioning for it to be banned.

Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, killing more Americans than HIV, drug and alcohol abuse, suicides, murders and car accidents combined. There are numerous campaigns such as D.A.R.E. and “Swipe Left” to help persuade us out of using tobacco products. Sayings like “Not even once” have even become cliché. However, studies have shown that one cigarette is all it takes to get addicted. Despite popular belief, smokeless tobacco is addictive as well. Big tobacco companies are famous for telling lies. In 1996, the tobacco industry said it was riskier to drink two cups of milk a day than one cigarette. They also said cigarettes were just as addictive as salt, sugar and internet usage. Neither of these are true, as it is the most addictive of all legal drugs. That being said, cigarettes are only the tip of the iceberg to the major problems that tobacco causes. Tobacco products have an astonishing amount of cons, to accompany very few, petty pros like “it makes me feel better for a few minutes.” Not only do cigarettes hurt the smoker, but they hurt the ones closely surrounding the smoker, especially small children. There are also a great deal of unexpected environmental issues that come with tobacco products and its industry, such as deforestation, greenhouse gasses, and fires. Because of these destructive reasons, we propose that all tobacco products should be illegal.

Nicotine use is a leading preventable cause of death in the world, directly and indirectly responsible for 440,000 deaths per year. The health problems that result in tobacco use tally an annual of $75 billion in direct medical costs (Slovic 36). That money spent on medical problems for smokers should be used to pay for more important things in our society such as schools, libraries, childcare, etc.

Tobacco is a plant that grows naturally around North and South America (V. Randall, 1999). Tobacco has a long history around the world. Thousands of years ago during cultural and religious events, people would smoke or chew tobacco as a ritual. Tobacco chewing was the first way tobacco was utilized. It became known to the rest of the world in the 1400’s when Christopher Columbus ran into some American Indians that offered him tobacco leaves as a gift. Later sailors brought it back to Europe, then it spread and was grown all over Europe (V. Randall, 1999). Tobacco became popular all over Europe because Europeans believed it be a medicine and that it could cure almost anything (J. Young, 2000).

Tobacco use is a serious social and behavioral problem in public health. The use of tobacco causes many health issues. According to the CDC website cigarette smoking harms every organ in the body, it is the leading cause of diseases. Every year they are 480,000 deaths each year in the United States due to cigarette smoking. Smoking causes nine out of ten people to die with lung cancer. Smoking can causes many respiratory disease, cancer almost anywhere in your body, affect pregnancy.

Although it remains a large portion of the U.S’ economy, tobacco smoking can lead to a variety of diseases and disorders that affect the user. The effects of smoking tobacco not only affect the user but surrounding people as well: permanently destroying their lungs and children, increasing the chances of diseases and of cancer.

To begin let’s talk about the many, many health risks that are caused from smoking. I’ll start off with the biggest consequence smoking causes. Cancer. According to the CDC.gov website, nine out of ten lung cancers are caused from smoking cigarettes. And although lung cancer is the most common cancer associated with smoking, it is definitely not the only one. Smoking can cause cancer anywhere in the body. From the mouth to the colon, nothing is safe from cancer when you smoke. According to betobaccofree.gov, the chemicals in cigarettes harm your blood cells and damage your heart, increasing your likelihood of developing aneurysms, cardiovascular disease, Coronary heart disease, and strokes. Smokers also develop mouth sores and ulcers and as stated on deltadentalins.com, smokers are about 4 times more likely than non-smokers to develop gum disease. Smokers experience muscle deterioration because blood and oxygen are restricted and can’t reach the muscles.

Tobacco; one of the most profitable products in history, an addictive substance, and a deadly killer. Smoking tobacco used to be a thing that was endorsed in American society. Now, with the new medical advances and knowledge, society has seen the side effects of smoking and how fatal it actually is. Teenagers have been one of the largest age groups that have been affected by smoking. After analyzing all possible reasons as to why teenagers would smoke while knowing it can affect their health, three possible reasons stuck out the most. Teenagers smoke despite knowing the health problems that originate from smoking because of peer pressure, an “invincibility” mentality, and seeing a role model or family member smoke.

More than 480,000 people smoke every day and over 16 million people suffer from smoking related illnesses. For every dead smoker, at least thirty people live with a smoking related illness. Worldwide, tobacco use causes nearly six million deaths per year, and current trends show that tobacco use will cause more than eight million deaths annually by the year 2030. On average, smokers dies ten years earlier than nonsmokers and if smoking continue at the current rate among U.S. youth, 5.6 million of today’s Americans younger than 18 years of age are expected to die prematurely from a smoking-related illness. This represents about one in every thirteen Americans aged 17 years or younger who are alive today.

Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States and generates enormous individual and social costs. Indeed, estimated external costs of cigarette smoking are over \$300 billion per year.\footnote{This figure includes around \$170 billion in direct medical costs \citep{Xu2015}, the majority of which are payed for by public programs, and over \$156 billion in productivity lost to decreased health and premature death \citep{U.S.DepartmentofHealthandHumanServices2014}.}