279 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Chapter 9 Tobacco and Vaping just like cigarettes. Nicotine, even when vaped, is still a harmful substance that can cause serious health issues and lead to substance use disorder. Smokeless Tobacco Smokeless tobacco is a type of tobacco product a person chews, inhales, or dissolves rather than smokes or vapes. It is a noncombustible, or not burned, tobacco product. People absorb the nicotine in smokeless tobacco through their mouth tissues. Like cigarettes, smokeless tobacco contains many chemicals and toxic substances that can harm the body. Figure 9.3 shows forms of smokeless tobacco. Health Effects of Tobacco Use Tobacco use increases a person’s risk for developing a number of major health conditions. These include cancer, heart disease, and respiratory conditions. In the following sections, you will learn how nicotine affects the body, as well as the health effects of each type of tobacco product. Health Effects of Nicotine Tobacco products introduce nicotine into a person’s body. Cigarettes, vaping devices, and smokeless tobacco all contain nicotine. Even some e-liquids that claim to be nicotine-free can contain nicotine. On entering the body, nicotine acts as a stimulant, which increases heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. It also causes the release of the chemical dopamine. Dopamine leads to an enjoyable feeling that people crave when using nicotine products. Over time, the body develops a tolerance to nicotine. This means people have to consume higher amounts of nicotine to experience the same effects they felt when consuming lower amounts. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, which means it is difficult to stop using. In fact, in 2010, the US Surgeon General identified that nicotine was as addictive as cocaine and heroin. As a result, a person who uses nicotine is at serious risk for becoming addicted and developing a substance use disorder. (You will learn about substance use disorder in the next lesson.) Once someone has an addiction to nicotine, that person will experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms without the substance. Smokeless Tobacco Products Chewing Tobacco Cured tobacco Comes as loose leaf, plug, or twist Dry Snuff Loose, powdered tobacco Sniffed through the nostrils Moist Snuff/Snus Cut tobacco, loose or pouched Placed in the mouth Dissolvables Dissolve in the mouth Comes as lozenges, strips, or sticks Top to bottom: J.A. Dunbar/Shutterstock.com Rob Hainer/Shutterstock.com gopixgo/Shutterstock.com Goodheart-Willcox Figure 9.3 Smokeless tobacco products include chewing tobacco, snuff, snus, and dissolvables, and can be ingested in a variety of ways.