Tobacco: A biological weapon?

365,000 people a year die from smoking in the U. S., but yet it is not outlawed?
Why?

The deaths stabilize the hemmoragic wounds of Social Security?
Big tobacco is a powerful octopus with plenty of money for both political parties?
The deaths attributable to tobacco control population?

This post is worthy of attention, especially if you are a smoker. 365,000 deaths a year- and the irony is the smokers funded it! I am an ex 40 cigarette a day smoker. I have often pondered on the reasoning of legality of such a lethal, yet legal, product. Why is it legal?
My compliments, nightbreid. You have earned a vote from me for your short, yet direct post.

Actually guys, tobbacco can never be classed as a biological agent because really in it's raw state - i.e un-processed, it can do little harm if imbibed infrequently.

As an ex smoker (60 a day +) and also a former Nuclear Biological and Chemical (NBC) Instructor, I can tell you that when we were training, we used a piece of equipment called the NAIAD. We were NEVER allowed to smoke near it when setting the damned machine up. Basically NAIAD detects nerve agents but a by product of it's detection is, that it is able to detect Blood Agent vapour at 1 part agent in 1,000,000 parts air or oxygen.

Where do cigarettes come in, I hear you ask yourselves. Well, those nasty men in the cigarette industry soak the tobbacco leaves in Salt Peter to make it burn. Salt Peter is used in the manufacture of gunpowder and when it burns, it gives off Hydrogen Cyanide. Hydrogen Cyanide is a Blood Agent. The NAIAD detects this and goes in to alarm mode until the cigarette smoke clears and you have to reset the damned machine again!

So you see guys, tobbacco is really a Toxin. A chemical agent - derived from a biological source.

The answere to your question Journey, it's because that stupid git Sir Walter Raleigh discovered tobbacco and nicked it off the native Americans and bought it back here!

Actually, handling the plants is quite dangerous what with nicotine poisioning and all (poison darts can be made from raw plant)

Nicotine also makes a rather nasty pesticide, coincidental isn't it? I would really like to know the politics behind big tobacco, and the reason they aren't out of business yet. If anybody stumbles on a link, give me a heads up.

TAXs and sources of income of governments..

Nightbried are you talking about tabacco in its raw state? Or after its been loaded with additives in the cigarette form?

The tabacco plant naturally has nicotine and tar and other potentially harmful substances but tobacco companies add a whole lot more. I wonder what the death rates from smoking were amongst native american tribes and other cultures that smoke natural tabacco leaves?

www.absoluteastronomy.com...

In addition to the tobacco plant, nicotine is also found in lower quantities in other members of the Solanaceae(nightshade) family, which includes the tomato, potato, eggplant and green pepper. Nicotine alkaloids are also found in the leaves of the coca plant.

In small doses nicotine has a stimulating effect, increasing activity, alertness and memory

Interesting though that nicotine is being researched for many medicinal purposes, including nootropics (smart drugs). Apparently some college students chew nicotine gum on study nights.

www.betterhumans.com...

A study published in the journal Neuron has identified parts of the brain in which nicotine has a positive effect on cognitive abilities.

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, researchers found that nicotine improves attention in smokers by enhancing function in areas of the brain associated with visual attention, arousal and motor activation (the posterior cortical and subcortical regions).

By giving 15 smokers either a transdermal nicotine patch or a placebo and then asking them to perform a rapid visual information processing task, the researchers were able to see nicotine's effects on brain function.

The findings suggest that nicotine shifts cognitive resources to parts of the brain required for task performance.

Nicotine is also being heavily researched for Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately it's hard for them to get funding due to the bad rep

After it's steeped in all that wonderment. Fill a coffee can up with butts and water, strain it off, and you'll have the prettiest posies on the block....Good question concerning Native American usage. Maybe I should have named this post:The Cigarette: A Biological Weapon.