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Tobacco
The phrase "tobacco products"
refers to numerous different tobacco-based items,
including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco (such as
snuff), bidis, Kreteks, and loose-leaf tobacco. Nicotine
is the primary addictive toxin found in tobacco; it is a
colorless liquid that turns brown when burned and is
found in all kinds of tobacco products. It is known to
be highly addictive in smaller doses (1-2mg) and can
kill the average person in larger quantities. Tobacco
products are used among all demographic populations, but
approximately 80% of adult smokers (of whom there were
46.5 million in the United States in 2004) started
smoking before the age of 18; every day, nearly 4000
youths under the age of 18 try their first cigarette.
Among other effects, nicotine stimulates dopamine
production in the brain and can cause the user to feel
slightly euphoric. However, tobacco use accounts for
about one third of all cancer deaths in the United
States and is the single most preventable cause of
premature deaths. In Indiana it is illegal for anyone
under the age of 18 to purchase or accept tobacco for
personal use. It is also illegal to knowingly sell
tobacco to a person under the age of 18. Violators of
these laws are guilty of a Class C
misdemeanor.
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