The Marlboro Man, who smoked a pack-and-a-half of cigarettes daily for 25 years, proved to be no match to lung cancer which he contracted from smoking. His last words were "Smoking is just not worth it."

A third reason why smoking is popular is because of the money it generates. Tobacco is a cash crop in many developing countries and some governments still feel the need to cultivate this crop without realizing that more money will eventually be lost in the form of tobacco-related diseases and deaths. At any rate, by convincing people to smoke, tobacco manufacturers make a lot of money at the expense of the public.

Tobacco advertisements are also the lifeblood of several newspapers and magazines. For the publishers and editors of the magazines concerned, it is more "practical" and profitable to accept revenues from cigarette advertising rather than alert the public to the dangers of smoking.

"Cigarettes are a serious health hazard we all know. They are also one of the most heavily advertised products. These two facts create a serious conflict for various publications that provide health coverage. The revenues from cigarette advertising are a sizable part of their income. If their coverage includes the negative consequences of smoking, cigarette manufacturers will not be pleased. Likely they will take their advertising (money) elsewhere. What is the answer? For many magazines it has been to take the money and 'overlook' the health consequen­ces of smoking," revealed Dr. Robert L. Taylor in "Health Fact, Health Fiction."

What makes a cigarette dangerous? In addition to nicotine, a fast acting chemical compound, a burning tobacco contains about 3,999 other chemicals which are bad to both smokers and nonsmokers. What are these chemicals and how do they affect your health?

Nicotine is one of the most powerful poisons known. This highly addictive drug was named after the French ambassador Jacques Nicot who introduced smoking to France. Nicot's legacy, however, continues to exert a devastating effect on users.

This is not surprising since this colorless liquid has been used as an insecticide and to kill worms in animals. As Lawrence A Young, Linda G. Young, Marjorie M. Klein, Donald M. Klein, and Dorianne Beyer pointed out in "Recreational Drugs":

"Cigarette tobacco contains about 1.5 percent nicotine; the smoke from an average cigarette yields about six to eight milligrams of the drug. Cigars contain appreciably more nicotine, averaging 120 milligrams each, twice the amount needed to kill a normal human adult if he chose to eat it." (Next: Other poisons in cigarettes.)

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