ACTIVITY 2: Tobacco & Nicotine Use–The Health Consequences
ACTIVITY 2: Tobacco & Nicotine Use–The Health Consequences
WHAT ABOUT OTHER NICOTINE PRODUCTS?
Chew, dip, snuff, or spit tobacco—it's all smokeless tobacco. But, it's not a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes.16 There are health risks with using smokeless tobacco.
- It is a known cause of cancer—increasing a user's risk of oral cancer.
- It can cause bleeding gums and mouth sores.
- It can lead to nicotine addiction.
- Youth and young adults are also uniquely at risk for long-term, long-lasting effects of exposing their developing brains to nicotine. These risks include nicotine addiction, mood disorders, and permanent lowering of impulse control. Nicotine also changes the way synapses are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning.
Still not convinced it's harmful?
According to the CDC, a high school athlete who used spit tobacco died of oral cancer when he was 19! 17
