Tobacco products are taxed out in various levels of production and consumption. There are excise duty taxes, value added tax, additional rate on the total retail price and the corporate taxes deducted from the company’s profit. All in all, the government collects billions of dollars of smoking taxes each year. In fact, almost 90% of the retail price of a cigarette pack goes to the tax.

Another point lobbied by tobacco companies is the fact that they provide jobs to thousands of employees and that pinning them down with heavy taxes may jeopardize employment. Anti-smoking advocates, however, argue that the groups of people employed by tobacco companies have various alternatives when it comes to finding work. They won’t stay unemployed and in the long run, they will still be able to contribute to the economy.

You will find that smoking and taxes are closely related once you get to take into account government spending on social welfare as well as its effects on the economy. Tobacco-related illnesses cost millions of lost working days. This involves both smokers and non-smokers. It cost the government billions of dollars annually to provide medical aid to victims of cancer, COPD, bronchitis and cardiovascular diseases caused by smoking. Sickness and invalidity benefits are given to those who suffer from smoking-related diseases may they be smokers or nonsmokers. Pensions and other social security benefits given to the dependents of a person who died due to a smoking-related disease have to be fully subsidized by the government as well.

If government officials really want to protect consumers, they would stop taxing smoking products and just ban altogether. The taxes collected don’t come near to paying for the loss of health and productivity the smoking causes.

As a new year approaches, it’s a good time to consider stopping smoking and taking up more healthy pursuits. If you need some help and inspiration, Quitting Smoking for Dummies is a good place to start.

Tobacco smoke contains more than 250 toxic chemicals, many of which are carcinogenic (chemicals that cause cancer). These toxins remain present in the air after the smoker exhales. In fact, secondhand smoke is said to be more harmful than inhaled smoke.

A more recent study confirmed that tobacco contamination is no longer limited to what smoke is still visible in the air. Toxins linger hours after a cigarette is extinguished. This remaining hazard forms over time in carpets, clothes, sofas, curtain and other household materials that easily absorb such. Experts aptly call it as third-hand smoke.

Third-hand smoke poses health risks particularly for children and infants. This is because children are more exposed to surfaces such as floors and walls where toxin is more likely to build up. They tend to touch and play with virtually everything. Infants and toddlers don’t know that the stuff they suck on or put in their mouths is contaminated, but the adults around them should be aware of the potential health risks.

If you ever tried to get the smell of cigarette smoke out of carpets, or clean the smoke residue from walls or furniture, or find one of your favorite shirts or blouses yellowed with smoke, then you are familiar with the affects of third hand smoke.

When you get to consider all the chemicals contained in a pack of cigarette, chances are, parents would agree that their children are in trouble if they continue to smoke at home or in the car.

One recent survey, however, found that only half of the smoking population knows about third-hand smoke. Most smokers wouldn’t react as long as they don’t see smoke being inhaled by their kids. Another study further support this by claiming that merely 65% nonsmokers and 43% smokers believe that third-hand smoke may adversely affect their kids’ health. Because of that, only 26.7% households impose a no-smoking policy inside their homes.

Third-hand smoke is also the leading cause of serious pregnancy complications. Aside from nicotine, which can be considered as poison, cigarettes contain other harmful chemicals such as cyanide (often used in explosives) and arsenic (use to kill mammals and pests). Different types of learning disabilities and diminished IQ is said to be associated with a pregnant woman’s exposure to tobacco products.

It’s time for parents to get serious about quitting smoking to protect their children from both second and third-hand smoke.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of high school boys and 2% of high school girls are smokeless tobacco users. Smokeless tobacco is also called spit or chewed tobacco.

It comes in two types: the snuff and the chewing tobacco.

• Snuff refers to the fine-grained tobacco packaged in small pouches that resemble a tea bag. Users either pinch or dip it between their lower lips and gums.
• Chewing tobacco, on the other hand, are larger pieces of tobacco leaves that are also put between cheeks and gums. It is supposed to be spat to get rid of saliva while your mouth sucks out the tobacco juices. This allows nicotine to be absorbed into the blood stream through the lining of the mouth.

About 30,000 Americans suffer from mouth and throat cancer. Among this figure, 8,000 die in less than five years after the diagnosis. Most of them developed oropharyngeal tumor-a cancerous tumor of the throat.

Oral cancer, in general, may also happen in the lips, tongue, cheeks, gums and other parts of the mouth. Doctors have already identified chewed tobacco as one of the leading causes of these cancers. Aside from that, other types of cancer in the stomach, esophagus and bladder may also be caused by chewing tobacco.

Other health implications of smokeless tobacco involve having a bad breath and teeth staining. Approximately 70% of users have mouth sores, cracking and bleeding lips, and receding gums that may lead to the falling out of your teeth. Notwithstanding other risks of all tobacco products such as increased in heart rate and blood pressure, diabetes, lung ailments and brain damage.

In addition to the health problems associated with smokeless tobacco, there are social costs. The constant creation of saliva means that users need to spit out the excess, not a very appealing habit. Spittoons belong in a western movie, not in today’s home or office. Mouth sores, stained teeth, and bad breath are not considered attractive, so a person’s social life can be adversely affected.

If you use smokeless tobacco, ask your doctor to help you kick the habit.

Is Cigar Smoking Really That Attractive?
The tobacco industry is investing a lot on advertisements, hiring celebrities who influence people to try cigars as an alternative to cigarettes. This trend dates from the time when gourmet coffee was popularized among the twenty-something crowd. Because most cigar smokers are young middle-aged men in their golden years, it suddenly became associated with financial stability and success.

Recently a popular blog claimed that cigar smoking is “boss,” but it is hard to see how smoking any form of tobacco an excellent pr boss activity.

There is a prevailing misconception that cigar smoking is safer and less addictive compared to cigarettes. The truth of the matter is that cigars and cigarettes are made up of the same compounds, chiefly of which, is nicotine.

Nicotine Affects Both Cigarette and Cigar Smokers
Nicotine is the cause of tobacco addiction. Once it is absorbed by the body through lungs or through the lining of the mouth, you get to develop a regular craving for it accompanied by the health hazards it will cause.

Most cigar smokers do not inhale the smoke. They let the smoke linger inside their mouth instead. Some people do it with the hopes of eliminating the risk of lung diseases caused by smoking. What they don’t know is that letting the nicotine gets absorbed by the body through the mouth lining and gets dissolved in the saliva poses more danger such as pancreatic cancer.

Aside from that, a single large cigar actually contains the same amount of tobacco as a whole pack of cigarettes. Most cigar smokers aren’t fully aware of this. In fact, another popular alternative to cigars are cigarillos or little cigars which are of the same dimension as cigarettes. The only difference is that it is brown in color and the fact that it contains more nicotine in it. Since people can only judge from the surface, cigar smokers would usually consume it the way they would consume cigarettes.

It may be true that cigar smoking may enhance some people’s perception of an individual at this time. But what of it without an assurance of a healthy mind and body in the near future? Eventually, these self-images that we have for ourselves will fade away, just as the cigar ashes fall off between our fingers.

Anesthesiologists are particularly concerned that a smoker who has not stopped smoking would have significantly less oxygen supply in the body. Nicotine increases the amount of carbon monoxide attached to the hemoglobin in the blood. This makes the heart pump slower and the blood pressure rise.

Another thing that can be noted for smokers is that their lungs have higher mucus contents. The lungs are also having great difficulty clearing airways and passages because of the mucus in the lungs that are not properly secreted because of the effect of smoking. This makes the patient more susceptible to infection, chronic cough and other pulmonary problems. There is also a risk that the lungs might collapse. To add to this, smoking has been reported to slow down wound healing and increase the risks of an individual to have cardiovascular ailments or even a stroke.

Before undergoing surgery, your doctor will require you to quit smoking for at least four weeks. The most ideal duration to stop smoking prior to a surgery is actually ten weeks. This could make the condition of the patient almost as good as person who does not smoke.

Post surgery complications may be avoided if the patient follows this requirement. Yes it is not easy but think about the consequences that you might have to face if you do not quit smoking before your operation. There are patients who report having to go back to the hospital because their wound reopened. There are also those who say that their wounds are turning black or red, or even the edges of the stitching started to come apart. This is really very serious so do not even consider lying to your doctor about it because at the end, you are going to suffer too.

So remember, if you plan to have a face life or tummy tuck: stop smoking. This may actually be the key to your smoking cessation. If you want to really enjoy be fruits of your surgery, don’t start smoking again. Quitting is better for your health and wellbeing than cosmetic surgery any day.