A Brief History of Tobacco Leaving aside momentarily the many devise issues that now surround tobacco. There can be little debate that this leafy member of the nightshade family has occupied a lofty and favored place on the stage of American History. It’s growth and eventual dominance as a cash crop in many agricultural states, it’s successful marketing to consumers through out the world, and it’s status as the financial underpinning of some of the most powerful multinational corporations and prominent philanthropic organizations all testify to the important position tobacco has long held in society. The first cigarette-rolling machine was invented in 1881. A 1995 study says that Tobacco interests contributed to more than 16.6 million to federal political candidates or party committee’s in the previous decade. “Why do nearly 50 million people in the United States continue to light up?” Millions of teachers, parents, and health professionals have asked that question, but still the answers aren’t easy.Some of the consequences of this habit are: cancers of the lung, breast, mouth, pharynx, esophagus, heart disease and stroke. Severe respiratory problems, stained teeth and fingernails, wrinkled skin and bad breath.The way you smoke cigarettes, is you inhale through the mouth and exhale through the mouth.SMOKING FACTS:8,000 people die each week from smoking and 400,000 die each year from smoking. 80 to 90 percent of regular smokers adopt the habit before the age of 18.Some ways to stop this problem: comprehensive school- based health education and tobacco prevention programs.More restricted access of minors to tobacco products.Increase the tax on tobacco products.Overall about half of high school aged adolescents in the United States either smoke or use smokeless tobacco.About 3 million U.S. adolescents are smokers. Adolescents smoke about 1 billion packs of cigarettes each year.B.Y. Brandon...
