Tobacco

• Anything made from the leaves of a tobacco plant• The tobacco plant contains a

highly addictive substance: nicotine• Nicotine is more addictive

than heroin or cocaine

What is it?

Nicotine• Is an addictive drug: a substance that causes

psychological or physiological dependence• Classified as a stimulant: a drug that increases

the action of the central nervous system, the heart, and other organs

Effects of Nicotine

• Raises blood pressure• Increases heart rate• Contributes to heart disease and increases risk stroke

Toxic Smoke!!!

• Cigarette smoke is classified as one of the most dangerous carcinogens

• A carcinogen is a cancer-causing substance

What Else is in Cigarettes?

• Tar: thick, sticky, dark fluid produced when tobacco burns

• Tar harms every part of the lungs smokers become susceptible to bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, and of course cancer

Tar Experiment

What Else?

• Carbon Monoxide: colorless, odorless, and poisonous gas

• Takes place of oxygen on blood cells, depriving body tissues of oxygen

• Increases risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and hardening of the arteries

• Smoking could also show signs of carbon monoxide poisoning!

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Pipes and Cigars

• Contain more nicotine and more tar than regular cigarettes

Gross!!

• Theses chemicals are not the only ones found in smoking tobacco, but also these:– Cyanide– Formaldehyde– Arsenic– Acetone– Ammonia– Lead– +many, many more!

Smokeless Tobacco

• Sniffed in the nose, held in the mouth, or chewed

• Can deliver nicotine and carcinogens at levels 2 to 3xs higher than cigarettes

• Because it is usually in the mouth, it can irritate the mouth tissues

• Leukoplakia: thickened, white, leathery-looking spots on the inside of the mouth that can lead to cancer

Leukoplakiahttp://www.outdoortexan.com/mycancer.htm

Effects of Tobacco on the Body

• Changes in brain chemistry• Increased respiration and heart rate• Dulled taste buds/reduced appetite• Bad breathe/ smelly in general• Chronic bronchitis• Emphysema• Lung cancer• Coronary heart disease and stroke• Social/Financial consequences

Are Tobacco Warning Labels Effective?P.544

• Look at the Exploring Issues activity • Look up American warning labels and

Canadian warning labels on the internet• Then answer the questions

Reduced Tobacco Use Among Teens

• Numbers down nationally from 36% to 28%- why?

• Antismoking Campaigns• TRU Campaign

Reduced Tobacco use Among Teens

• Financial Costs– http://www.theawl.com/2011/06/what-a-pack-of-

cigarettes-costs-state-by-state• Societal Pressures– http://www.no-smoke.org/pdf/WRBLawsMap.pdf

• Family influence

Strategies for Preventing Use

• Chose friends who don’t use• Avoid situations where tobacco may be used• Practice refusal skills

Why Use?

• Why do teens use tobacco?