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Tobacco (Nicotiana spp., L.) refers to a genus of broad-leafed plants of the nightshade family indigenous to North and South America, or to the dried and cured leaves of such plants. Tobacco leaves are often smoked (see tobacco smoking) 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 sniffed into the nose as finely powdered snuff. The Spanish word "tabaco" is thought to have its origin in Arawakan language, particularly, in the Taino language of the Caribbean, said to refer to a roll of these leaves (according to Bartolome de Las Casas, 1552) or to the "tabago", a kind of y-shaped pipe for sniffing tobacco smoke (according to Oviedo), but Sp. tabaco (also It. tobacco) was commonly used to define medicinal herbs from 1410, originating from the Arabic "tabbaq", reportedly since the 9th century, as the name of various herbs. The word might then be European, and later applied to this plant from the Americas.
Tobacco contains the alkaloid nicotine, a powerful neurotoxin that is particularly harmful to insects. All means of consuming tobacco result in the absorption of nicotine in varying amounts into the user's bloodstream, and over time the development of tolerance and dependence. Absorption quantity, frequency and speed seem to have a direct relationship with how strong a dependence and tolerance, if any, might be created. A lethal dose of nicotine is contained in as little as one half of a cigar or three cigarettes; however, only a fraction of the nicotine contained in these products is actually released into the smoke, and most clinically significant cases of nicotine poisoning are the result of concentrated forms of the compound used as insecticides. Other active alkaloids in tobacco include harmala alkaloids.
Tobacco smoking carries significant risks including the potential to develop various cancers as well as strokes, and severe cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. * Significantly shorter life expectancies have been associated with tobacco smoking. * Many jurisdictions have enacted smoking bans in an effort to minimize possible damage to public health caused by tobacco smoking. The substantially increased risk of developing cancer as a result of tobacco usage seems to be due to the plethora of nitrosamines and other carcinogenic compounds found in tobacco and its residue as a result of anaerobic heating, either due to smoking or to flue-curing or fire-curing. The use of flue-cured or fire-cured smokeless tobacco in lieu of smoked tobacco reduces the risk of respiratory cancers but still carries significant risk of oral cancer. * In contrast, use of steam-cured chewing tobacco (snus), avoids the carcinogenicity by not generating nitrosamines, but the negative effects of the nicotine on the cardiovascular system and pancreas are not ameliorated. *
More on [ Tobacco ]
Tobacco :: Specific Substances
Tobacco :: Recreation
Tobacco :: Health
CDC's TIPS: Tobacco Information and Prevention Source - Maintained by the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health. Covers tobacco-related issues, statistics, news, research, data, reports, quitting tips, educational materials, publications, . Also sections dedicated to youth.
Meta Description: [ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presents the Tobacco Information and Prevention Source (TIPS). This Web site is maintained by the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health, which is a division of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (US Gov't Web... ]
thetruth.com - American Legacy Foundation tobacco education campaign covers cigarettes, smoking, other tobacco products. The truth about how the cigarette industry operates
Meta Description: [ truth has one mission: spread information about the tobacco companies and their deadly, addictive products so people can make decisions about smoking based on the whole story - not just the one the industry's given us. ]
Tobacco BBS - Cigarettes, tobacco, and smoking-related news and issues, addresses, tobacco history, information on quitting, and a quote of the day section.
Meta Description: [ Tobacco.org: tobacco issues, tobacco & smoking-related news, addresses, tobacco history, cigarette seduction, movie & book lists, health info, quit-smoking, smokeless tobacco tips. ]
Cancer - University of Texas medical center factsheets on effects of smoking and tobacco, and tips and support for quitting. One-third of M. D. Anderson patients have tobacco-related cancers.
Meta Description: [ No matter how old you are, itÂ’s never too late to improve your health by kicking the tobacco habit for good. One of M. D. Anderson Cancer Center's studies may help. ]
Nicotine in Cigarettes Varies Widely - New research measures amount of free-base nicotine in the modern cigarette, a highly engineered nicotine delivery device
Meta Description: [ The level of the most addictive form of the drug is 35 times higher in some brands than others, researchers find ]
'Impact Booster': Tobacco Firm Shows How Ammonia Spurs Delivery of Nicotine - 1996 Pulitzer prize-winning reporting on how the tobacco industry uses ammonia to engineer cigarettes for addiction.
Meta Description: [ A digital archive of the Pulitzer Prize winners ]
A Collection of Articles on Nicotine Addiction - Articles about research studies funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
ABC DayOne: Smoke Screen - Now-famous segment on nicotine manipulation in cigarettes.
Addicted to Nicotine: A National Research Forum - Includes presentation summaries of papers presented at the conference held in 2001 at the (US) National Institutes of Health. Topics include nicotine delivery systems, pharmacology, individual and environmental risk factors, the psychobiology of addition, and treatment of nicotine dependence.
Ammonia Added to Cigarettes Can Significantly Boost Availability of Nicotine - Independent research confirms that ammonia added to ciarettes can boost the availability of nicotine up to 100 times.
Cancer Facts and Figures - Concise summary from the American Cancer Society of tobacco use, cigarettes, trends in smoking, profiling smokers, costs of tobacco, nicotine addiction, secondhand smoke, spit tobacco, and industrial hazards.
Meta Description: [ The American Cancer Society tracks cancer occurence, including the number of deaths, cases, and how long people survive after diagnosis. ACS also tracks data regarding behaviors that influence the risk of developing cancer and the use of screening tests. ]
Harris Poll: Tobacco Addiction - Reveals that 70% of all people still smoking have tried to quit, on average four times, and most are aware of tobacco's health effects; poll results called a metric of the power of tobacco addiction.
Infofax - Cigarettes and Other Nicotine Products - NIH short summary of nicotine effects.
Meta Description: [ **** ]
Low Tar Exposed - Site explains why low tarlight and mild cigarettes are just as harmful as regular cigarettes.
Meta Description: [ Cancer Research UK, the UK's leading cancer charity. This site has a wealth of information about the charity and about cancer. We also have many ways for you to make a donation or to support our vital cancer research. ]
Nicotine Addiction - Concise factsheet.
Nicotine Addiction Can Start Within A Few Days And After Just A Few Cigarettes - Recent research shows that cigarette products cause addiction much faster than was previously believed, in just a few doses.
Nicotine Addiction in Britain - Extensive report produced by the Royal College of Physicians. Nicotine addiction is one of the major reasons why people continue to smoke cigarettes, and cigarettes are in reality extremely effective and closely controlled nicotine delivery devices
Meta Description: [ The Royal College of Physicians are involved in setting the standards for medical practice. This site contains information about exams, publications, academic and professional practice supported by the RCP. ]
Nicotine Addiction in Britain - Complete online book by the Royal College of Physicians; covers physical. pharmacological, and psychological effects; addiction; the smoker's career; regulation of intake; treatment; regulatory approaches; recommendations.
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Nicotine and Addiction - ASH-UK factsheet on nicotine, its properties, difficulty in quitting, measures of dependence, withdrawal systems, genetic influence, and tobacco industry recognition of the its importance.
Nicotine and the Tobacco Industry - Science Week article focuses on 3 decades of tobacco industry efforts to engineer cigarettes for addiction.
Nicotine Junkies - Information on kids and smoking, facts about smoking and addiction.
Meta Description: [ why is smoking so addictive? ]
OncoLink: The Control and Manipulation of Nicotine and Cigarettes - 1994 news article. Kessler report on how the tobacco industry controls and manipulates nicotine in its product.
Quit Victoria - Tobacco smoking is the single most important cause of ill health and premature death in Australia. Not just quitting information -- health questions answered; effects of cigarettes; quit evaluation studies; information in languages other than English; smokefree workplaces and dining.
Reducing the Addictiveness of Cigarettes - Can cigarettes be made less addictive? Scientific paper examines the question.
Report of the UK Scientific Committee on Tobacco and Health - Report covers the scientific evidence on active smoking, passive smoking, nicotine addiction, price and marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products, cessation, key conclusions.
Research Report: Nicotine Addiction - Information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse about nicotine, addiction, the extent and impact of tobacco use, how nicotine delivers its effect, consequences of continued use, treatments, and gender differences.
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Smoking And Tobacco Factsheets - From the Missouri Health Department, a large set of factsheets on cigarettes, tobacco advertising, health effects, and secondhand smoke.
Smoking Is Ugly - Created and sustained by Christy Turlington, an online resource guide, providing information and links to numerous lung cancer and smoking-cessation related websites. SmokingIsUgly.com is part of Turlington's campaign to raise awareness about the effects of smoking, smoking related diseases and lung cancer.
Meta Description: [ Smoking Is Ugly ]
Statement on Nicotine-Containing Cigarettes by David A. Kessler, M.D. - Provides information on industry manipulation and control of nicotine in cigarettes.
TCSG - Tobacco and The Elderly - Papers and factsheets on: tobacco and minorities, state tobacco settlement funds, tobacco and older persons.
Meta Description: [ National Center for Tobacco-Free Older Persons ]
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The Science Behind Tobacco: Health and Smoking - Information about nictoine delivery, addiction, medical consequences, and differences based on culture, age, and gender.
The Tobacco Reference Guide - Online book provides quotes, summaries, and factsheets about hazards of smoking.
Tobacco Advertising and Document Collections - Growing set of resources presenting and organizing tobacco industry documents; shows what the industry says in private about youth, advertising, promotions; features a poster on the history of youth cigarette brands.
Tobacco Control Online - A quarterly scientific journal covering all aspects of tobacco use prevention and control.
Meta Description: [ Tobacco Control, an international peer review journal for health professionals and others in all areas of tobacco control ]
Tobacco in Australia: Facts and Issues - A complete, online, book, with all citations to the literature. Covers cigarettes, other tobacco products; statistics and trends; health effects; smoking in the workplace and public places; public policy; addiction; quitting; anti-smoking campaigns; and the tobacco industry.
Tobacco Industry Hall of Shame - List of stars and performers killed by tobacco.
Meta Description: [ Dedicated to rising stars whose lives have been snuffed out from tobacco-cased disease. Shame on an industry that has denied the public the truth regarding the addicitive and deadly product that ultimatley kills or injures its users. ]
Tobacco Web - From Australia: cigarettes, tobacco history; current trends; smoking and health, the tobacco industry -- recent revelations; secondhand smoke; young people and smoking; smoking in the workplace; tqitting smoking.
Meta Description: [ Smoking and tobacco related issues, fact sheets, resources, smoke free places, Going Smoke Free policy guidelines and the law. ]
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Tobacco: The Moral Issues - Short paper by Joseph Califano, former secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare.
Meta Description: [ Tobacco: The Moral Issues By Joseph A. Califano, Jr., AMERICA Aug. 15, 1998, the Catholic weekly magazine for the thinking Catholic and those who want to know what Catholics are thinking. ]
TobaccoFree - Offers smoking cessation tips, research results, and tips for staying smoke free.
Meta Description: [ Anti-smoking links guide -- quit smoking info, teen smoking prevention, educational videos, K-12 assembly programs, speakers, & anti-tobacco news. ]
WHO Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) - A WHO cabinet project created to focus international attention, resources and action on global tobacco use and problems caused by that use.
WHO: The Tobacco Atlas - History of tobacco, types of use, male and female smoking, youth, cigarette consumption, health effects, secondhand smoke, deaths, costs; the trade, the industry, smuggling, tobacco promotion and marketing, Internet sales, politics; activism, research, tobacco control, policy initiatives; quitting, litigation, pricing, and futures.
WhyQuit - Cold Turkey Quitting - A support group and education forum dedicated exclusively to the science and art of successful abrupt nicotine cessation.
Meta Description: [ Ready to quit smoking and end all nicotine use? Almost 90% all long-term ex-smokers quit smoking cold turkey. Learn their quitting secrets! ]
World No Tobacco Day - Provides an opportunity to educate about the effects of cigarettes and other tobacco products.
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