Tobacco

Oh, a smoke... That's good. In my opinion. Really. It's just too bad it contains so much... ...

so much poison? Yes, there are thousands of substances in cigarettes and snus, and many of them are poisonous. The most well known substance is probably nicotine, which is also used to kill insects. It is strongly addictive. If your body has got used to nicotine, it's difficult to wean yourself off it.

And when you smoke or use tobacco in other forms, you take in heavy metals, such as lead and cadmium, and other dangerous substances like cyanide, carbon monoxide, benzene and, ughh, tar. All this, and a lot more, is inhaled into the lungs. But if it's that dangerous, how come it's permitted to smoke in the first place? Well, tobacco spread from America to Europe in the 16th Century, and then further on to the rest of the World. At that time no-one knew how dangerous it is.

And it became part of our culture. Today it's widespread. Normal. Many people like it. Then it's hard to prohibit.

But if somebody would have invented tobacco today, it probably would have been banned. I think it's both relaxing and stimulating to smoke. But I wish I could quit. Many of us smokers do. We do know how dangerous it is.

We keep smoking simply because we're addicted. Hey, read the sign! No smoking in here. Oh, sorry. I just lit up automatically.

It stinks. And I don't wanna inhale your poison. I work here, you know. Sorry. There are few positive effects of smoking.

But the negative effects, are nuuuuuumerous. Lower fitness level. Poor blood circulation that makes you feel the cold. Bad skin! And it's expensive.

But first and foremost: It increases the risk of illnesses. Cardiovascular problems, and lung conditions, like COPD, emphysema, and cancer. A smoker dies on average ten years earlier than a non-smoker. Around the world, a tobacco related death occurs every fourth second, on average. Now a person dies from tobacco.

And now. And now. In recent years 'e-cigarettes' have become more common. An e-cigarette, or a vape. It has a battery and a fluid that contains the nicotine.

When the e-cigarette is on, the battery heats the fluid. The fluid containing nicotine becomes vapour that you inhale into your lungs. E-cigarettes are said to contain less poisonous substances than ordinary cigarettes. We're still not certain what effects they have on the body and health. Much research is underway to measure these.

Some things we do know already, though. They do contain nicotine, so they are poisonous, they are bad for you, and they are addictive. Smokeless tobacco, like snuff and tobacco that is chewed, is a little less dangerous than cigarettes You don't inhale loads of poison into the lungs, but the nicotine still affects the body. The nicotine makes the heart beat faster and the blood pressure increases. And you take in more nicotine when using smokeless tobacco than when smoking, hence snuff is very addictive.

Yes, that's is the way it is. Smoking is poisonous, addictive and expensive. And dangerous.