Tobacco

Tobacco Nicotine

Street Names

Tobacco, Cigarettes, Baccy, Ciggies, Fags, Bifters, Rollies, Snuff, Smokes, Snout

General Info

Tobacco comes from the leaves of the tobacco plant. It contains a drug called Nicotine, which is highly addictive, and it's Nicotine that gives smokers their 'hit'.

Smoking any drug gets it to the brain quickly. When a smoker inhales, the Nicotine reaches the brain in around 8 seconds. Regular smokers say it helps them relax, reduces anxiety and feel less hungry.

Since October 2007 it has been illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18 in England, Wales and Scotland. This includes products such as cigarettes, cigars, roll your own tobacco, pipes and rolling papers.

Effects

• Feel relaxed, reduces anxiety
• Smokers feel less hungry
• First time smokers often feel sick and dizzy
• Smoking can make your clothes smell
• Smokers are more likely to get coughs and chest infections
• Nicotine speeds up the heart rate and increases blood pressure.

Risks

• Smoking can cause serious damage to your health – smoking is a risk factor for emphysema, heart attacks, strokes and lung cancer
• Tolerance
• Burn injuries from fires started accidentally
• Smoking using a pipe / shisha has the same risks and health problems as smoking a cigarette
• Other people breathing in your smoke could end up with breathing difficulties, asthma or even cancer
• Dependence, bronchitis, heart disease, damage to circulation, cancers (lungs, throat, tongue)
• Tobacco smoking in pregnancy can result in damage to the foetus and low birth weight
• It's estimated smoking contributes to 120,000 premature deaths in the UK every year
• Smoking has been linked to the amputation of 2,000 limbs a year.

Class

Unclassified

It is illegal to sell tobacco to under 18s