Tobacco Addiction Research Paper

Tobacco Addiction

In the 1964 Surgeon General’s report, smoking was described as a habituation. In 1988, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identified tobacco use for the first time as nicotine addiction, concluding that “cigarettes and other forms of tobacco are addictive. Nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction. Moreover, the processes that determine nicotine addiction are similar to those that determine addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine”. Drug dependence involves the repeated administration of a substance that contains a psychoactive chemical. Like other drug dependencies, nicotine dependence is a progressive, chronic, relapsing disorder that is characterized by (a) stereotypic patterns of use, (b)

Recent surveys indicate that both U.S. smokers and nonsmokers strongly favor policies to prevent use of tobacco by youths. Such policies include

(a) Mandated public-school education on tobacco,

(b) An absolute ban of smoking in the school environment by students and all staff,

(c) Increased restrictions on tobacco advertising and promotion,

(d) Enforcement of laws banning tobacco sales to minors, and

(e) Increases in tobacco taxes. School programs are crucial to the success of prevention efforts. Such prevention programs, which teach students to identify social influences that encourage smoking and train them in skills to resist those influences, have significantly reduced smoking prevalence among youths; however, these effects have lasted from 1 to 3 years only. School programs to prevent use of smokeless tobacco, based on methods comparable to the smoking prevention model, have had similar limited success. School programs, however, are only part of the solution. Evidence suggests that school-based prevention curricula are enhanced when they are combined with community programs that

Never before in the history of the United States, has there been such a comprehensive effort in fighting tobacco use.

During the last 30 years, considerable progress has been made. The adult smoking prevalence has been reduced by approximately 35%, and attitudes about tobacco use have changed. Most people now believe that tobacco use is a health hazard. Many organizations and businesses ban indoor smoking and legislation to curb tobacco use is considerably more widespread. Limitations on tobacco advertising and promotion have become more stringent. State tobacco excise taxes also have been increased, and support for additional levies has been embraced by the public and lawmakers.

Although there has been considerable success, much work still remains. Tobacco kills over 400,000 Americans each year, primarily from heart disease, cancer, and respiratory diseases. Current estimates indicate that tobacco has killed approximately 4.5 million Americans from 1990 to 2000. Considering only health care costs and lost productivity, tobacco use amounts to $65 billion per year. In addition, the alarming increase in tobacco use among youths gives little cause for