Tobacco
ARE YOU IN THE “KNOW” ABOUT TOBACCO?
KNOW THE SLANG
Cigarettes: Smokes, Cigs, Fags, Butts. Smokeless Tobacco: Chew, Dip, Spit Tobacco, Snuff
KNOW WHAT IT IS
Tobacco is an agricultural crop.
KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Brown cut up leaves.
KNOW HOW IT IS USED
Tobacco is usually smoked. Sometimes tobacco leaves are "dipped" or "chewed" so the nicotine is absorbed via the gums.
KNOW THE FACTS
Tobacco damages your health. Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer. Smoking is also a leading cause of cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder, pancreas, and kidney. Smokeless tobacco can cause mouth cancer, tooth loss, and other health problems.
Tobacco affects your body's development. Smoking is particularly harmful for teens because your body is still growing and changing. The 200 known poisons in cigarette smoke affect your normal development and can cause life-threatening diseases, such as chronic bronchitis, heart disease, and stroke.
Tobacco is addictive. Cigarettes contain nicotine--a powerfully addictive substance. Three-quarters of young people who use tobacco daily continue to do so because they find it hard to quit.
Tobacco can kill you. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in this country. More than 400,000 Americans die from tobacco-related causes each year, and most of them began using tobacco before the age of 18.
KNOW THE RISKS
Know the law. It is illegal for anyone under 18 to buy cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, or tobacco-related products.
Stay Informed. Addiction to tobacco is hard to control. More than 90 percent of teens who use tobacco daily experience at least one symptom of withdrawal when they try to quit.
Keep your edge. The poisons in cigarettes can affect your appearance. Smoking can dry your skin out and cause wrinkles. Some research even relates smoking to premature gray hair and hair loss.
Be aware. It can be hard to play sports if you use tobacco. Smoking causes shortness of breath and dizziness, and chewing tobacco causes dehydration.
Think of others. Smoking puts the health of your friends and family at risk. Approximately 3,000 nonsmokers die of lung cancer each year from breathing other peoples' smoke.
Get the facts. Each day more than 3,000 people under age 18 become regular smokers. That's more than 1 million teens per year. Roughly one-third of them will eventually die from a tobacco-related disease. Look around you. Even though a lot of teens use tobacco, most don't. According to a 1998 study, less than 20 percent of teens are regular smokers. In fact, 64 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds have never even tried a cigarette.
KNOW THE SIGNS
How can you tell if a friend is using tobacco? Sometimes it's tough to tell. But there are signs you can look for. If your friend has one or more of the following signs, he or she may be regularly using tobacco:
Wheezing
Coughing
Bad breath
Smelly hair and clothes
Yellow-stained teeth and fingers
Frequent colds
Decreased senses of smell and taste
Difficulty keeping up with sports and athletic activities
Bleeding gums (smokeless tobacco)
Frequent mouth sores (smokeless tobacco)
What can you do to help someone who is using tobacco? Be a real friend. Encourage your friend to quit. For information and referrals, call the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 800-729-6686.
DID YOU KNOW?
Q. Doesn't smoking help you relax?
A. No. Smoking can actually increase feelings of stress and nervousness. Break the cycle: Use drug-free strategies to calm your nerves like exercise and talking to your friends.
Q. Isn't smokeless tobacco safer to use than cigarettes?
A. No. There is no safe form of tobacco. Smokeless tobacco can cause mouth, cheek, throat, and stomach cancer. Smokeless tobacco users are 50 times more likely to get oral cancer than non-users. Those smokeless tobacco users who don't develop some type of cancer are still likely to have signs of use, like stained teeth, bad breath, and mouth sores.
Q. Isn't smoking sexy?
A. Only if you think bad breath, smelly hair, yellow fingers, and coughing are sexy. Advertisements often portray smoking as glamorous and sophisticated, but think carefully about who created these ads and why.
KNOW ITS SHORT-TERM EFFECTS
When a person smokes a cigarette, the body responds immediately to the chemical nicotine in the smoke. Nicotine causes a short-term increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and the flow of blood from the heart. It also causes the arteries to narrow. Carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen the blood can carry. This, combined with the effects produced by nicotine, creates an imbalance in the demand for oxygen by the cells and the amount of oxygen the blood is able to supply.
KNOW ITS LONG-TERM EFFECTS
It is now well documented that smoking can cause chronic lung disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke, as well as cancer of the lungs, larynx, esophagus, mouth, and bladder. In addition, smoking is known to contribute to cancer of the cervix, pancreas, and kidneys. Researchers have identified more than 40 chemicals in tobacco smoke that cause cancer in humans and animals. Smokeless tobacco and cigars also have deadly consequences, including lung, larynx, esophageal, and oral cancer.The harmful effects of smoking do not end with the smoker. Women who use tobacco during pregnancy are more likely to have adverse birth outcomes, including babies with low birth weight, which is linked with an increased risk of infant death and with a variety of infant health disorders. The health of nonsmokers is adversely affected by environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Each year, exposure to ETS causes an estimated 3,000 non-smoking Americans to die of lung cancer and causes up to 300,000 children to suffer from lower respiratory-tract infections. Evidence also indicates that exposure to ETS increases the risk of coronary heart disease.
KNOW ITS FEDERAL CLASSIFICATION
Tobacco is a legal product for adults.
INFORMATION
To learn more about tobacco, or obtain referrals to programs in your community, contact: Governor’s Commission for a Drug-Free Indiana,
a division of the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute
www.in.gov/cji
or
SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
800-729-6686
TDD 800-487-4889
linea gratis en español 877-767-8432
Web site: http://www.health.org/
Curious about the TV ads of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign? Check out the Web site or visit the Office of National Drug Control Policy Web site.
The bottom line: If you know someone who is using tobacco, urge him or her to quit. If you are using it--stop! The longer you ignore the real facts, the more chances you take with your health and well-being.
It's never too late. Talk to your parents, a doctor, a counselor, a teacher, or another adult you trust.
Do it today!
- Is there a medical exemption regarding the seat belt law?
- Who is eligible for victim compensation?
- What funding opportunities are available through the Drug & Crime Control divisi...
- How do I find out if my city, town or county already receives a JABG grant and h...
- If my application is approved by the ICJI Board of Trustees, what will be requir...
- Can agencies or organizations other than school corporations apply for Safe Have...
- What are the funding options for non-county units of local government that are e...
- Find out more about Indiana Point of Youth.
- Inquire about the Governor's Council on Impaired & Dangerous Driving.
- Know about the youth services that CJI has to offer.
- Read about the new meth law.
- Find out more about drug recovery.
- Contact CJI and its divisions.
- Find out about the Governor's Commission for a Drug Free Indiana.
