Essay

Essay



Joseph Wiley
Mr. Berdnt
Comp 1
11 August 2014
Effects of Tobacco
Did you know that most deaths are caused each year from tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), alcohol use, illegal drug use, suicides, and murders combined (Hunnicut 28)? Smoking a cigarette can be just as lethal as many of the leading causes of death today. Just like many other drugs tobacco is an herb that is cultivated for hazardous use. The leaves of cultivated tobacco are disposed for use in snuff, chewing or smoking (Hunnicut 20).Today society has created ways intended to give off the impression that smoking or using tobacco is cool. Smoking a cigarette in public or being spotted at a hookah lounge blowing circles of smoke in the air does not make a person cool, but only harms a person physically and internally. Tobacco contains over 4000 chemicals that are also found in car batteries, lighter fluid, and floor cleaner (“Tobacco and Its Effects” 3). As a result of serious health risks and medical cost, stress, and addiction tobacco should be considered an illegal drug.

Tobacco is also considered to be the leading preventable cause of death in the world (Papathanasiou, 2014). Smoking a cigarette is a very easy and popular method of using tobacco. Health problems can occur during or after the use of tobacco and is linked to millions of deaths across the world:
Since 1964, more than 12 million Americans have died prematurely from smoking, and another 25 million U.S. smokers alive today will most likely die of a smoking-related illness. It has been conclusively linked to leukemia, cataracts, and pneumonia, and accounts for about one-third of all cancer deaths (Hunnicut 28).
Because of the health risks faced when using tobacco the life span of users decreases. This can affect families who may have lost a member due to a disease developed by the frequent use of the drug. Smoking while pregnant is associated with a variable of negative health...

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