Drugs
...of effects. It is considered an addictive substance because it contains the chemical nicotine.
The tobacco plant is believed to have originated in the Western Hemisphere. The cultivated
species most often grown for North American and European tobacco products is Nicotine
Tabacum. The leaves of the plant are prepared for smoking, chewing, or sniffing. In addition
nicotine tobacco contains over 45 carcinogens and more than 4,000 chemicals. Prior to
European influence in the Americas, the Indians of Mexico and Peru used tobacco for the
ceremonies, medical purposes and to alleviate hunger pains during famines. Columbus is
credited with introducing tobacco into Europe. Tobacco use became widely accepted by the
Portuguese, Spanish, French, British, and Scandinavians. Explorers and sailors who became
dependent upon tobacco began planting seeds at their ports of call, introducing the product
into other parts of Europe and Asia. The colonist introduced tobacco on the American
continent in the early 1600's. It became a major crop and trading commodity of the Jamestown
Colony. Over the years tobacco has been claimed as a cure for a wide range of ailments with
varying forms of administration. Its social importance also grew over the years, even the point
of denoting the "modern women" during the 1st part of the twentieth century. It was not until
the 1960's, with the introduction of medical research related to cigarette smoking that the
adverse health effects of the tobacco became widely publicized. Unfortunately, most of the
health hazards were only associated with cigarette smoking. While the number of cigarette
smokers in the United States has continually decreased over recent years the number of
smokeless tobacco users has steadily increased. Since the 1970's a 15-fold increase in
smokeless tobacco has been noted in adolescents 17 to 19 years old....
View Full Essay
