Amber Faber

Life Society and Drugs

Section 04
Journal 9 Tobacco
Tobacco is a stimulant and is a green, leafy plant that is grown in warm climates. After it is
picked it is dried, ground up, and used in different ways. It can be smoked in a cigarette, pipe, or
cigar. It can be chewed, which is called smokeless tobacco or chewing tobacco, or sniffed
through the nose called snuff.
Tobacco increases stress, increases heart rate and blood pressure, persistent cough, and causes
difficulty breathing. More serious effects include lung cancer- tobacco can cause cancer in the
lungs from all the chemicals that make up a cigarette; heart disease- the heart is damaged due to
restricted blood flow; and respiratory disease- restricted air flow to and from the lungs.
Not only does tobacco cause problems for their own health but for others. This is called second
hand smoke and causes many side effects as well. It causes a raise in heart disease because when
smokers smoke the nicotine goes into the atmosphere and then enters the non-smokers lungs. It
can cause infant death syndrome because the mother was exposed to tobacco during pregnancy.
Children with smoking parents are at a higher risk of illness including bronchitis, ear disease,
wheezing, and asthma.
Tobacco can lead to many cancers including, lung, esophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, kidney,
bladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, cervix, colon, and rectum, as well as acute myeloid leukemia.