Nicotine is found naturally in plants, such as tobacco, potato, eggplant and tomatoes. It is also a poison that is included in various insecticides. Nicotine can act as a stimulant and a depressant; the form it takes, depends on the mood of the user and the circumstances surrounding its use. Nicotine can be absorbed through most of the body's membranes. Tobacco showed up in the Western part of the world around the 16th century. Even Columbus noticed that the Native Americans smoked a lot of tobacco. Europeans got their taste of tobacco during the mid 16th century. They thought that tobacco had the power to cure ailments. In the US, tobacco became so popular that it was used as currency, when bartering for goods. Because of its popularity, the early settlers created fire-curing and charcoal-curing, as a way to extend tobacco's shelf life when the product was being shipped across the seas. Tobacco farming really exploded as smoking became common all over the world. And with the introduction of the rolling machines during the late 1800s, the cigarette became a must have product. But, during the middle of the 20th century, health officials started to be concerned about how cigarette smoking was affecting the public's health. In 1964, the US Surgeon General issued a report stating that there was relationship between smoking cigarettes and lung cancer. Nicotine is in tobacco and people like to smoke, so why is that a problem. Maybe the problem isn't smoking, as much as it is the nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive drug. Nicotine can cause a short term increase in blood pressure, the heart rate and the blood flow from the heart. It can also cause the arteries to get smaller. The smoke that people inhale contains carbon monoxide, which reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood. Smoking also causes changes in the blood that make clots and heart attacks more likely. Nicotine is estimated to be in the blood for about two hours. But people don't take one puff, they continue to smoke, until they've finished their cigarettes, which produces a cumulative effect. And because of this accumulation, the nicotine in the blood can expect to last six to eight hours, after the smoking has stopped. The feelings that people get from nicotine is similar to the ones that heroin and cocaine addicts get. Nicotine is a legal drug until someone decides to put it on the list of illegal drugs, people have the right to inhale it. Of course that won't happen, because tobacco is a very lucrative industry and the government makes so much tax money off the sales of cigarettes. Although the government may release information from time to time, about the risks of smoking, the truth is, they don't care if you quit. Nicotine is one of the hardest addictions to break, but it can be done. When people are trying to break an addiction, they shouldn't focus on what they're losing, but on what they're gaining. And in the case of nicotine, they could gain longer and healthier lives. |
