TOBACCO

WHAT IS IT?

• Tar
• Pasty like substance
• Fine-grain, crushed leaves

HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL

• Feel less agitated, anxious, or depressed
• More alert/focused
• Uneasy (when not high)
• Extreme laziness

WHAT DO OTHERS SEE

• Look older
• Become extremely thin
• Skin sags
• Lines form around lips
• Yellowed teeth & fingers
• Hair loss
• Cataracts (blindness)
• Thick, scaly patches

COST?

• $7 or more per pack
• It only takes a few cents to make a pack of cigarettes
• Money goes straight down the drain when you are addicted

HOW DOES IT GET IN?

• Inhalation
• Absorbed by salvia
• Carried by bloodstream to the brain

SOCIETY'S ROLE

• Friends pressure you
• Ads glorify tobacco
• Movies/TV shows promote smoking
• Family influence the way people feel about smoking/chewing

LONG TERM EFFECTS

• Oral, lung, stomach, throat cancer
• Deformed sperm cells
• Lowered physical stamina
• Tremors
• Reduced fertility
• Increased blood pressure
• Chronic cough

SHORT TERM EFFECTS

• Drop in skin temperature
• Diarrhea
• Irritation to eyes, nose & throat
• Reduced urine

LEGAL CONSEQUENCES

• Must be 18 years and older
• Minors caught pay a $25 fine and court date
• Providers pay a $500 fine and 60 days in jail

Medical Uses:
*Calms nerves in schizophrenic patients (small doses)
*controls symptoms of Tourette's syndrome
(Small doses)

INTERESTING FACTS

• Small amounts of nicotine are found in tomatoes, potatoes, egg-plants and cocoa leaves
• Is toxic to insects (was used in insecticides)
• Takes 7 sec to hit the brain
• Burns below its boiling point