Tobacco

Tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum L. ) is a broad-leafed plant of the nightshade family, indigenous to North and South America , whose dried and cured leaves are often smoked in the form of a cigar or cigarette , or in a smoking pipe, or in a water pipe or a hookah . Tobacco is also chewed, "dipped" (placed between the cheek and gum), and consumed as finely powdered snuff tobacco, which is sniffed into the nose. The word "tobacco" is an Anglicization of the Spanish word "tabaco", whose roots are unclear; it is thought to derive from the Native American word "tabago" a y-shaped pipe used in sniffing tobacco powder.

Tobacco contains nicotine , a stimulant that can form strong physical and psychological dependence. Most researchers consider this to amount to addiction : according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "nicotine is a very addictive drug."

All of the mentioned means of consuming tobacco result in the absorption of nicotine in varying amounts into the user's bloodstream. Absorption quantity and speed seem to have a direct relationship with how strong a dependence might be created. Nicotine is a highly effective insecticide and is acutely poisonous to humans in large doses. Additional hazards of tobacco use include carcinogenic compounds in tobacco and tobacco smoke. Many jurisdictions have enacted smoking bans in an effort to mimimize possible damage to public health due to tobacco smoking.

Tobacco smoking

Tobacco smokingis the act of smoking tobacco products, especially cigarettes and cigars. Tobacco smoking is considered a significant cause of human health problems, especially cancer and other disorders affecting the lungs.

The practice of smoking tobacco originated as a ritual practice among American Indians in North America , to which tobacco is native. It was adopted by many Europeans following the colonization of the Americas . Today, it is widespread throughout the world; according to the World Health Organization , it is most common in East Asia, where as many as two-thirds of all adult males smoke tobacco. ( Source: http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/antismoking/a/statistics.htm ) Because of concern over the health hazards of smoking, it has declined in recent years in the United States and Western Europe .

Tobacco may be smoked in several forms, the most common being the cigarette, the cigar, and pipe tobacco. Cigarette smoking is by far the most common. Pipes and cigars are less common, and are used almost exclusively by men.

In the case of cigarette smoking, for most smokers it also involves the inhalation of the smoke into the lungs. Tobacco smoke contains nicotine , which can form a strong physical and/or psychological dependence. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "nicotine is a very addictive drug. For some people, it can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine." Dependence is strongest when tobacco smoke is inhaled into the lungs and increases with quantity and speed of nicotine absorption. Thus, cigarettes usually create a much stronger substance dependence than pipe or cigar smoking, in which the user typically does not inhale into the lungs. Nicotine is one of thousands of chemicals contained in cigarette smoke.

Lighting the tobacco is usually done with a lighter or match . One of the most common favors asked from a stranger is for a light; it is also done as a pretext to start a conversation. Some smokers consider smoking to be a relaxing, pleasurable, social activity. Some tobacco hobbyists may view the risks of smoking as balanced by its rewards.

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