... Marijuana versus America Cannabis, or marijuana as it is more commonly known, is a substance that can provide many benefits to consumers as well as the economy. The United States should approve the legalization of marijuana so that Americans can reap these benefits. Marijuana, when used as an inhaled substance, has less intense effects than other illegal drugs, even though it is often judged as an equally dangerous substance as other inhalants. The United States could also benefit financially from legalizing marijuana through decreased prison costs, increased tax revenue, and product manufacturing. Finally, marijuana has provided relief in various forms to many people suffering from illnesses such as glaucoma and cancer. This will show that the United States should legalize marijuana because of the less severe effects than other drugs, the financial benefits to the country as well as medical benefits to its users. Marijuana should not be grouped with illegal substances like cocaine and heroin as the effects of marijuana use are not as dangerous. The Journal of the American Medical Association states that 17,000 deaths per year are caused by dangerous drugs such as...
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...They Know it Causes Cancer? Today there are still so many young people that start smoking. Some are as young as middle school but most are high school age. There is so much information that is available at our fingertips and still teens start smoking. Smoking causes many different health problems. Smoking causes cancers, stroke, heart disease and lung disease. Smoking is costly, highly addictive and it can kill you so why do young people still do it? Teens smoke because they want to look mature. They see their parents do it and many adults around them do it. They mimic what they see. It is usually forbidden by parents so it attracts their attention. Some teens want to rebel and so they try it. Other teens are pressured into it by their peers. The problem is they get addicted and they cannot stop. These teens grow up and become adult smokers. Three out of every one hundred middle school students have tried cigarettes and at least nine out of every one hundred high school students have tried them in the past thirty days. Teen use of tobacco in any form is unsafe. If smoking continues at the current rate among teens in this country, 5.6 million of today’s Americans younger than eighteen will die early from a smoking-related illness. That’s about one of every thirteen Americans aged seventeen years or younger alive today. Smoking cigarettes causes stroke and coronary heart disease which is among the leading causes of death in the United States. Smoking cigarettes...
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...describing the tobacco tax issue in the United States. The first part of the paper defines the tax issue and gives a brief history of the tobacco excise tax. The second section discusses the stakeholders and an analysis of the issue. And lastly, I describe my policy perspective. The Tobacco Tax Issue Is taxation on tobacco an effective means of decreasing the smoking rate or is it just an elaborate ploy to increase taxes by playing on voter emotions? The message is clear and has been etched in our minds over the years; tobacco kills. Tobacco and secondary tobacco products kill an estimated 440,000 Americans per year. Over the past several decades, state and local governments have passed tobacco excise taxes and other laws regulating the use of tobacco. But who is actually behind the legislature? First Tobacco Tax Tax on tobacco was first implemented by Alexander Hamilton, secretary of the treasury, in 1794 (Altman, 2009). The tax was soon repealed, but excise taxes have been a staple in federal revenues since the American Civil War. In 1921, Iowa successfully passed the first state tax on tobacco, with many states to follow. Not only does the federal government and state governments tax tobacco, but now city municipalities are also imposing a local tax on tobacco (Altman, 2009). But what is the current tobacco tax about? There are several sides to the argument, as is the case in most taxes. Advocates of the tobacco tax argue that...
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...Assignment 2 Morbidity: Lung Cancer HSA535 Managerial Epidemiology 01/29/2012 Compose an analysis of lung cancer of lung cancer as compared to other leading causes of death in your state. Include the mortality rates and the costs of lung cancer(for the most recent year reported) in your analysis. Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lung. Normal lung tissue is made up of cells that are programmed by genes to create lung tissue in a certain shape and to perform certain functions. Lung cancer develops when the genetic material responsible for production of lung cells is damaged (genetic mutations). Repeated exposure to carcinogens such as tobacco smoke may cause damage in lung cells. While tobacco, is the leading cause of lung cancer, some other carcinogens linked to lung cancer include radon and asbestos. These mutations in the genetic material of the lung cells cause the instructions for those cells to go askew. Consequently, those cells and their offspring reproduce wildly, without regard for the normal shape and function of a lung. That wild reproduction causes the formation of tumors that block air passages in the lung and make it stop functioning as it should. Lung cancer is usually divided into two major types. The first type is small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The second type is non-small cell lung cancer NSCLC. Sometimes a lung cancer may have characteristics of both types. This is called mixed small cell/large cell carcinoma. About...
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...Abstract Smoking is a health behavior that presents a burden of a preventable disease around the globe. Smoking and tobacco use, unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle contributes to over one million deaths annually in the U.S only. Although smoking prevalence in the U.S has dropped by half since the publication in 1964 on first Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health, there is still increasing number premature deaths estimated at over 400,000 annually; the prevalence among the use of tobacco products in the younger populations is on the rise. Report by World Health Organization on the worldwide spread of tobacco use and smoking, it has warned on billion lives being lost by the end of the century. Identified as a significant source on premature mortality or death and preventable morbidity such as diseases and illness; cigarette smoking is one of the preventable behaviors that through the use of the media and public health legislation can effectively be eliminated. Introduction Health behavior can be termed as an activity undertaken with the essence of prevention or the detection of disease or towards improving the health and the well-being. The notion attached to the interest on the respective behaviors impact on everyone health and the well-being is attached on diverse assumptions. The assumptions are; a large proportion of the mortality attributed to the leading causes of the death is commonly attributed to the behaviors of individuals, and such...
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...Research Paper 3-19-12 Why America Should Ban Smoking Tobacco has been around for more than four hundred years and is still very popular as of today. Millions of Americans smoke cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products on a daily basis that is harmful to the body. However, smoking has become one of the biggest controversies in today's society. This personal experience clearly shows that smoking needs to be banned. “Gail Routh worked as a flight attendant for nearly twenty-seven years. Routh was a nonsmoker all her life, but after working in contact with secondhand smoke on airplanes she contracted lung cancer. Gail Routh sued the tobacco industry for lung cancer and bronchitis that was linked to the expose to secondhand smoke (Hudson, 2004).” In 1964, the United States Surgeon General declared that smoking was bad for one's health and was related to lung cancer. Therefore, smoking should be banned in all public places to prevent contracting lung cancer from first or second hand smoke, enable those with lung conditions to be able to hold jobs in places that they would not be able to because of the smoke in the air, and help businesses keep their employees safer while generating more revenue, which in turn would save thousands of lives each year. Tobacco use kills nearly 470,000 Americans each year and is among one of the leading causes of preventable death. Smoking is also legal at the age eighteen in the United States; however, many non-smokers say that it should be restricted...
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...There is a vast difference between the cigarette commercials of the 1980's and the anti-tobacco Truth ads of today. We were sold a lie, and now many have paid the price with their health and their life. Should it be the responsibility of the tobacco industry to care for these people who have life threating illnesses caused by their products? Should they also handle the burial of the individuals who die as a result of tobacco usage? In this industry, someone has to look out of the consumers that are not looking out for themselves. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2013, there were 42.1 million people in the United States that smoked cigarettes. Smoking causes many diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Smoking is considered to be the leading cause of preventable deaths in the US. It is responsible for about 480,000 deaths, including 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke. According to the CDC, the United States spends $300 billion a year on smoking-related costs to include medical care, lost productivity, and premature deaths. By now we are all well aware of the harmful effects that smoking and other use of tobacco products have on use, but according to the CDC 3,200 people under the age of 18 smoked their first cigarette today. Choosing to smoke is a personal choose that affects many. If an employer is required to pay a higher insurance premium...
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... The business research that I chose for my paper is the reinforcement of smoking and drinking and how tobacco marketing strategies link themselves with alcohol in the United States. The reason I chose this topic is because I see this issue increasing within our society. The purpose of this research is to investigate tobacco companies’ awareness about concurrent use of tobacco and alcohol, their marketing strategies linking cigarettes with alcohol, and the benefits tobacco companies pursued from these marketing activities. Problems under Investigation Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of premature deaths in the United States, accounting for more than 440,000 deaths yearly. Alcohol consumption is the third-leading cause of deaths in the nation. Each year, approximately 79,000 deaths are caused by excessive alcohol use. The concurrent use of cigarettes and alcohol further increases risks for certain cancers, such as cancer of the mouth, throat, and esophagus. In addition, the use of both tobacco and alcohol makes it more difficult to quit either substance. The three basics issues are under investigation: 1. What tobacco companies knew about the association between drinking and smoking, especially about smokers’ drinking behaviors 2. How tobacco and alcohol companies developed cross promotions featuring cigarettes and alcohol 3. How tobacco companies linked cigarettes with alcohol in their marketing activities and the benefits they expected to gain...
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...Essay Cigarette Smoke It is obvious to all of us that tobacco is extremely harmful. Growing up in the culture that we do, the dangerous effects of tobacco are commonly known. Even with all of these warning signs, tobacco use is still extremely common around the world. Leah Diplacido a Ph.D. with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) reports that “438,000 deaths are attributed to cigarette smoking each year: an additional 38,000 deaths are caused by second hand smoke” (DiPlacido 1). This stat makes tobacco the number one preventable cause of death in the United States. Throughout my paper I am going to examine the effects tobacco has on the individual, the effects of second hand smoke, and discuss how quitting may be difficult. Following my examination of tobaccos dangers I will explain a solution that will help limit tobacco users as well give aid for those who are trying to quit the use of tobacco. We all know that tobacco smoke contains chemicals but do we know what these chemicals are and what they can do? The one chemical that people are familiar with is Nicotine. Nicotine is an extremely addictive ingredient of cigarettes. Nicotine plays the part of getting users “hooked”. Although nicotine is a dangerous chemical used in cigarettes there are a number of other chemicals to watch out for. The American Lung Association concluded, “Cigarette smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer” (General Smoking Facts 1). That alone should be enough...
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...Public health spotlight on tobacco use Tobacco is a product prepared from the leaves of the tobacco plant by curing them. Tobacco contains the alkaloid nicotine, a stimulant. Tobacco use is a risk factor for many diseases, especially those affecting the heart, liver and lungs, and several cancers. In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) named tobacco as the world's single greatest cause of preventable death. TYPES OF TOBACCO PPRODUCTS There is no safe form of tobacco use. All forms contain nicotine and can cause addiction and health problems. Mainly two types smoking and smokeless tobacco 1. Smoking tobacco https://youtu.be/c6Ul9QIfBno Cigarettes Bidis Cigars, Cigarillos and Little Cigars Electronic cigarette or E- cigarette (nicotine delivery system) Hookah Pipe 2. Smokeless Tobacco * is not burned * Includes tobacco that can be sucked or chewed1 * Can be spit or swallowed, depending on the product1 * Can be spit less, depending on the product2 * Contains nicotine and is addictive1 * May appeal to youth because it comes in flavors such as cinnamon, berry, vanilla, and apple3,4 Types of smokeless tobacco: * Chewing tobacco (loose leaf, plug, or twist and may come in flavors)1 * Snuff (moist, dry, or in packets [U.S. snus]) * Dissolvable (lozenges, sticks, strips, orbs) Tobacco Facts and Figures Smoking * Harms nearly every organ of the body * Causes many diseases and reduces the health of smokers in general ...
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...Smoking and Lung Cancer Smoking and Lung Cancer The devastating cause of lung cancer is creditable to cigarette smoking. Introduction Fatalities due to cancer are widespread around the globe. One of the leading cancers, worldwide, is lung cancer affecting both men and women; killing more than 1 million people in a year, according to estimation. Smoking has by and large contribution in the cause of lung cancer. Obviously, lung cancer is a significant and prevalent disease that comprises a key public health problem. It is evidently established by widespread epidemiological data that cigarette smoking is the main motive of lung cancer. Overall, 75- 80% of lung cancer fatalities and particularly 90% deaths among males are contributable to smoking in United States every year. (Hecht, 1999) Discussion There is a dose-response association exist among smoking and lung cancer, and the possibility for lung cancer amplifies with duration of smoking, quantity of smoked cigarettes, age at beginning of smoking, unfiltered cigarettes’ usage, content of tar and nicotine, and extent of intake. In 1956, a pivotal trial was performed by Doll and Hill which illustrated that a cessation in smoking minimizes the potentiality of lung cancer relatively to those who keep on smoking. Reproduction of this verdict by Pathak et al. in a study in 1986 weighed against cases and controls more than 65 years of age to less than 65 years of age to those and furthermore displayed that there was...
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...Joel Kliewer 9/22/14 Draft #1 Revisions The Neuse of America What legal substance is the result of $96 billion of medical expenses? “Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the United States. It causes many different cancers as well as chronic lung diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis, heart disease, pregnancy-related problems, and many other serious health problems (Be Tobacco Free).” If Tobacco is really doing all these things to our country then why is tobacco still legal and why is no one worried about the use of tobacco? Also, what about tobacco is so bad and why is it so addictive? Tobacco, an extremely abused drug, is suffocating our country. “Tobacco smoke is made up of more then 7,000 chemicals,...
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...Vulnerable Populations and Community Nursing April Pelletier Chamberlain College of Nursing NUR-443: Community Health Nursing November 2016 “In the United States, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, accounting for approximately one out of every five deaths or 438,000 deaths per year” (p. 58). Smoking usually begins during the adolescent years and is typically more prevalent to the juniors and seniors in high school rather than adults. In the little town of Newington, CT adolescents and smoking tobacco is a real problem. Driving through this town it is easy to overlook most of the young population inhaling either a cancer filled stick or a vaporizer. However, the majority of this age group can be seen smoking...
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...Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs The use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs has been going on for many years legally and illegally. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 66% of people from the age of 12 or older reported in 2014 that they drank alcohol in the past 12 months, with 6.4% meeting the criteria for an alcohol use disorder (NIDA). A major cause of death in today’s time is drunk driving, about 5 thousand people die under the age of 21(NIDA). Among that same population, approximately 25.2% were also users of tobacco of some sort (NIDA). The use of other drugs, prescription and illegal, is at 10.2% (NIDA). One of the major causes of death is a result of alcohol. Ethyl alcohol or ethanol, better known as alcohol, is produced by the fermentation yeast (NIDA). It is a nervous system depressant which can be found many different beverages such as wine, beer, and other hard liquors. Depending on the amount consumed, it will have different effects on the body also depending on the persons weight, metabolism, amount of food eaten beforehand or during, and how fast the alcohol is consumed. The consumption of alcohol while consuming illicit drugs is very dangerous. With alcohol being a depressant and the drug (if it is a depressant) will make the depressant effect more intense will lead to memory loss, coma, or even death. On the other hand, if the drug is a stimulant it can alter your judgment of how intoxicated you really are since they have...
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...Nick Sylvester English 110 Dr. Christopher 11/4/2013 Tobacco Use Is it possible to place a given value on time? According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, smoking a single cigarette removes an estimated fourteen minutes from the average person’s lifespan. It should be obvious that time is precious and should not be thrown away after every cigarette. However, forty-three million people in the United States still make the decision to smoke habitually. In the modern American society, the dangerous of tobacco use has become moderately common knowledge. It is strongly reinforced through education, the media, and impacting examples. If an individual is given this knowledge, it is difficult to discover proper rationale for the desire or continuation of tobacco use. Despite the present facts, tobacco is still used by a mass amount of Americans, and remains to be one of the leading killers in the country. In spite of the efforts to raise awareness, exponential amounts of people still indulge in smoking and chewing tobacco. Tobacco may cause serious and fatal health risks for the user and those who may obtain it unintentionally from secondhand smoke, and may cause serious problems psychologically, physically, and hygienically. Smoking tobacco indisputably leads to many different health risks and seriously increases a person’s opportunity to develop a wide range of diseases. According to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention, smoking damages...
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