Means of Curbing the Tobacco Catastrophe - Case Study Example

Tobacco has to go Introduction Of all the preventable diseases known to man today, tobacco is the leading killeramongst them in the world. Apart from just killing, it causes health disorders and disabilities. In the United States alone, tobacco-related deaths are estimated at 443,000 annually, and of all the total deaths recorded, 1 out of every 5 is tobacco-related. In addition, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals, approximately 8.6 million Americans undergo health atrocities originating from tobacco use. Important to note is that the affected are not only the first-hand smokers, but also passive smokers, that is, people who get exposed to smokers. Research has proven that approximately 50,000 non-smokers, in this case passive smokers, die annually from being exposed to smokers. This therefore calls for alarm to invent means of cutting down the tobacco menace and saving these many lives which go to waste. This study text will expound more on the effects of tobacco and suggest means of curbing the tobacco catastrophe, and what can be done to save the addicted tobacco users. “Tobacco Health Hazards” (n.p.) states that today, tobacco has risen to be amongst the most addictive and harmful drugs known to man today, with its trend of enslaving one of every three smokers to its addiction; nicotine addiction. It is so intense that it is ranked in the same level with Heroine and Alcohol in the addictive context. The most dangerous fact about tobacco use is that scientists and health practitioners attest to it that there are no safe levels of nicotine exposure, and that even the slightest encounter with the drug can lead to major health disorders. One of the risks associated with nicotine is lung cancer (amongst others) and heart disease. The WHO has data which proves that the death rates of smokers are about three times more than those of non-smokers. Drug Facts (n.p.) explains how tobacco affects the human brain. It does not matter which way the nicotine will get into the body; whether chewed, smoked, or inhaled, the effects are all similar. The effect of nicotine is immediate upon joining the bloodstream, and it does so by stimulating the adrenal glands, which in turn release adrenaline, thus increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration after stimulating the central nervous system. Similar to what the heroine and Cannabis do to the neurotransmitter dopamine, nicotine will confuse the brain’s management of pleasure and reward. This leads to the brain’s change of control, and nicotine takes over, and this is what causes the addiction. The addiction adds up to further complications on the brain, such as aneurysms and clotting of blood in the brain, which manifests itself as stroke, decreased sense of taste and smell, and loss of sight caused by macular degeneration (Zieve & Dugdale n.p.). On the issue of cancer, nicotine is not directly responsible since its ingestion even in high doses has no such effects. Rather, it is the other chemicals included in the processing of cigarettes which cause the cancers. The resulting tobacco smoke coming out of the inhaling end has complex ammonia, cyanide, tar, carbon monoxide, and formaldehyde compounds. Most of these compounds are identified carcinogens and these upon entering the body lead to malfunction of organs and tissues which in turn lead to growth of cancer cells, bronchial disorders, and blockage of veins. In the event that an expectant woman is a smoker, they increase their chances of miscarrying, premature births, underweight births, or stillbirths. Even if the infants make it safe out of their mothers’ wombs, they are exposed to the risks of having behavioural and learning complications. Further still, if the mother is a chain smoker, this increases by double the chances that their children will become tobacco addicts once they start smoking. Passive smokers are not spared either, although their chances of developing the said complication might be a notch lower. Environmental tobacco smoke (secondhand smoke) has the potential to cause diseases as well. Whether at home or work, exposure to secondhand smoke increases chances of heart disease by at least 30%, and roughly the same for lung cancer emergence. There are also chances of developing respiratory complications such as bronchitis, pneumonia, persistent coughing, and uncontrollable phlegm production. For infants, secondhand smoke exposes them to disorders such as asthma or sudden death infant death syndrome. Apart from these major health effects, there are also additional effects such as clotting of blood in the legs which leads to amputation, coronary artery diseases, heart attacks, and increased (high) blood pressure. The reproductive health is also affected in that one may develop low (decreased) erections caused by low blood pressure. The sperm count falls significantly, and this may lead to infertility. Finally, tobacco addiction may lead to family breakups when the smoke is detrimental to non-smokers at home who may be unable to cope with the smoking family member or spouse. This may lead to unrests or fights, and worst still, the end of relationships or family splits. The worldwide statistics as given by Jha, Phil, & Peto (n.p.) are as follows; about 50% of all young men in the world today are smokers, and about 10% of all young women too. The number of those who successfully quit is much lower than this number, and as such, the deaths from tobacco smoking are expected to rise with the coming decades. The 20th century itself recorded about 100 million deaths caused by tobacco mostly in the developed nations and if this trend is left unattended, then the 21st century may record about 1 billion tobacco-related deaths since smoking has extended to the developing (emerging) nations as well. The World Health Assembly in 2013 revealed a sad truth that even if all the governments of the world were to cut down this number by inflicting stringent measures to curb the vice, only 200 million lives would be saved by the closure of the century. This means that 800 million lives will still be consumed by tobacco. These trends are supported by the fact that even teenagers are widely taking up the smoking habit (Carpenter n.p.). For instance, in the United States, the high school population alone has 34% of it smoking, and about 15% of the middle school student population smoking as well. Translated, there are about 3 million underage students who are exposed to nicotine either by direct or indirect exposure. All in all, this calls for immediate intervention if the next generation is to be saved. Disengaging from tobacco dependence is tough but possible. The first measure of quitting should originate from the smoker themselves; that is, they need to initiate the process out of the will. Although it is a tough choice, many smokers have tried over and over, and finally overcame the habit. In the event that this fails, one may go for external assistance such as behavioural treatments. These work by providing self-help materials or services to assist the victims such as online manuals, toll-free quitlines, free consultation services, and affordable counselling. There are also replacement therapies such as nicotine replacements which are means of controlling one’s nicotine dependence and which are induced in decreasing doses until one is completely free from the addiction. These may be nicotine-laced products which lack the other byproducts of tobacco smoke which as earlier stated, caused the more complicated health issues. Other denser medical interventions may be applied such as the introduction of Varenicline Tartrate into the body. It works by targeting nicotine receptors in the brain, thus easing withdrawal effects or reducing the nicotine effects in case one resumes the habit. Having observed this looming disaster, governments and health practitioners worldwide have tried several measures of saving the situation. The first mitigation measure was induced by the WHO and is named “The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Treaty of 2005” which was established to counter the tobacco menace. It has some strategies such as the 2009 framework which demanded that all its 177 member states to have all cigarette packets branded with warning messages on them as a means of discouraging tobacco use. In some other nations, they resorted to heavily tax tobacco products such as cigarettes, which in turn translated to increased cigarette prices. The idea was that if the buying of cigarettes turned out to be expensive, then it would discourage those who were about to join in the habit and also those already into it. In the United States and United Kingdom, they came up with discouragement programs such as banning of live tobacco marketing on television broadcast, and where marketing was allowed, the seductive branding imagery was regulated so that it did not influence the illiterate or minors. The other measure implemented in most parts of the globe in protecting non-smokers was the banning of smoking in public places. Apart from saving the health of non-smokers, it would indirectly reduce the rate of smokers since it would deny them the freedom of smoking whenever they felt like it, as smoking zones are located in specific areas, and are sparsely located. As such, smokers at times find the bother too much, and forego their smoking. Finally, health organizations have been working with governments and other institutions such as schools to sensitize the general population on the effects of tobacco on their health. This is done by revealing what tobacco smoke contains and giving evidence of what effects these constituent compounds can have on one’s health. All of these measures are countering the emerging 21st century tobacco problem significantly, but they still need to be implemented further. Conclusion In summing up, it is evident from the study text that tobacco use portrays more health side-effects than meets the eye. The worrying fact is that many people do not know that just a slight exposure to tobacco can completely ruin their health, and that passive smoking is just as dangerous. This can be blamed on ignorance or lack of knowledge, and can be reversed by effective sensitization. In addition, more lives would be saved if the people already on nicotine dependence were informed that the addiction can be cured, and they would stop the harm they are causing to their lives. It is therefore sufficient to conclude that it now lies with the governments and healthcare bodies to take up these campaigns of stopping the emerging virility of tobacco use because with the expected 1 billion tobacco-related deaths, this is bound to be a 21st century catastrophe. Works cited Carpenter, Jeff. “Tobacco Use Among Teens is Dangerously High.” ABCNews, 2012. Web. 12 May 2014. “Drug Facts: Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products.” National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2012. Web.12 May 2014. Holford, Theodore, Meza, Rafael, Warner, Kenneth, Meernik, Clare, Jeon, Jihyoun, Moolgavkar, Suresh, & Levy, David. “Tobacco Control and the Reduction in Smoking-Related Premature Deaths in the United States, 1964-2012.” The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2014. Web. 12 May 2014. Jha, Prabhat, Phil, M, & Peto, Richard. “Global Effects of Smoking, Quitting, and of Taxing Tobacco.” The New England Journal of medicine, 2014. 60-68. Web. 12 May 2014. "Tobacco Health Hazards." Global Issues in Context Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2014. Global Issues In Context. Web. 12 May 2014. Zieve, David & Dugdale, David. “Risks of Tobacco.” National Institute of Health, 2011. Web. 12 May 2014. Read More