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Tobacco is the commercial name for the widespread and historically significant product made from the leaves of the Nicotania plant family. It had long been used by Native Americans prior to the arrival of European explorers and settlers. The creation of trade routes linking Europe and North America made tobacco an important economic commodity and recreational drug. Tobacco production created the original foundation for the economies of England’s southern American colonies.

One component of tobacco, nicotine, makes tobacco use addictive. It has been proven that humans develop both a tolerance for and dependence upon nicotine, creating a powerful and compulsory habit of tobacco consumption among its users. It is estimated that more than one billion persons in the world are regular consumers of tobacco. The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco use causes the deaths of over 5 million people world-wide each year, making it the leading preventable cause of death. Usage appears to be dropping in the more developed parts of the world, but continue to rise in the poorer areas.

D.E.A. Classification: Not Classified as a Scheduled Narcotic
Drug Category: Stimulant
Availability: Highly Available
Cost per dose: 20 cigarettes = app. $6.45.
Monitoring the Future: 45% of 12th graders have tried it. 20% report using in the past 30 days.
Geographic Predominance: omnipresent
Method of Ingestion: Smoked, chewed, inhaled
Duration of Effects: 40 – 120 minutes
Detectable for: 2 hours per cigarette, 72 hours for heavy smokers

Tobacco Tutorial: Page 1 of 21