Addiction To Tobacco Essay

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There are 1.1 billion tobacco users in the world and it is set to increase to 1.6billion over the next two decades. Addiction to tobacco impacts poverty and development. In poorer countries, up to 30% of income is spent on tobacco, reducing funds available for nutrition, education and healthcare. Every year in the U.S., more than 480,000 people die from tobacco use and exposure to secondhand smoke, making it the leading cause of preventable death in this country.

Some of the major health risks of tobacco include lung cancer, high cholesterol and chronic bronchitis. Lung cancer is the most common form of cancer by the result of smoking. Cigarette smoke contains chemicals that interfere with the filtration and cleaning out of lungs. Not only does the smoke irritate lungs and lead to overproduction of mucus, it also paralyses the cilia, which is a tiny hair like structure that lines the airways and clean out dust and dirt. The result of paralyzed cilia causes mucus and toxic substances to build up thus resulting in congestion of the lungs. Extra mucus also means that smokers are more likely to suffer from …show more content…

An estimated $44 billion is spent annually on tobacco in the United States. It has become such a big issue that the low income New Yorkers are spending nearly a quarter of their annual salary to feed their tobacco addiction. In addition, the aforementioned $44 billion do not include the health costs that tobacco inflicts upon its users. When compared to the $30 billion spent annually to solve world hunger, the American tobacco addiction exceeds the annual required cost by a whooping $14 billion. According to the study conducted by the WFP (World Food Programme), $3.2 billion would be needed per year to reach all the needs of 66 million hungry school-age children. All in all, people spend more on the tobacco industry when the funds could be used to solve a major world

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