Nicotine is one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the United States. Cigarette smoking has been the most popular method of taking nicotine since the beginning of the 20th century. In 1998, 60 million Americans were current cigarette smokers (28 percent of all Americans aged 12 and older), and 4.1 million were between the ages of 12 and 17 (18 percent of youth in this age bracket). Once hooked, nicotine addiction is extremely difficult to overcome.

• Nicotine is a stimulant, increasing heart rate and blood pressure.
• When smoke is inhaled, the nicotine effects hit the brain about 8 seconds later.
• Smokers claim it helps them to relax or relieve anxiety.
• First time users may feel sick.
  

  Health Hazards

  Highly addictive. Nicotine is highly addictive and acts as both a stimulant and a sedative to the central nervous system. The ingestion of nicotine results in an almost immediate "kick" because it causes a discharge of epinephrine from the adrenal cortex. This stimulates the central nervous system, and other endocrine glands, which causes a sudden release of glucose. Stimulation is then followed by depression and fatigue, leading the abuser to seek more nicotine.

  Nicotine accumulation. Nicotine is absorbed readily from tobacco smoke in the lungs, regardless of whether the tobacco smoke is from cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Nicotine is also absorbed readily when tobacco is chewed. With regular use of tobacco, levels of nicotine accumulate in the body during the day and persist overnight thus exposing daily smokers to the effects of nicotine for 24 hours each day.

  Long-term hazards. In addition to nicotine, cigarette smoke is primarily composed of a dozen gases (mainly carbon monoxide) and tar. The tar in a cigarette, which varies from about 15 mg for a regular cigarette to 7 mg in a low-tar cigarette, exposes the user to a high expectancy rate of lung cancer, emphysema, and bronchial disorders. The carbon monoxide in the smoke increases the chance of cardiovascular diseases.

  Second-hand smoke. The Environmental Protection Agency has concluded that secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in adults and greatly increases the risk of respiratory illnesses in children and sudden infant death.

  Information provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

  
  The Risks:
  
  

• Nicotine can be an extremely addictive and expensive habit.
• Serious health problems (i.e. asthma, cancer) have been linked to passive smoking (inhaling other people's smoke).
• Other illnesses linked to smoking include heart disease, cancer, and emphysema - all of which can kill. The damaging effects on arteries can also cause impotence in men.
• Tobacco contributes to at least 2000 limb amputations and 111,000 premature deaths in the UK each year.
  
  The Law:
  
  
• It is illegal to sell tobacco products to children under the age of 16.
  
  Advice and support:
  

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