Tobacco
Name
Institution
Introduction
Tobacco is a plant that contains nicotine and used as a drug. It tends to be addictive with both depressant and stimulant effects on people who use it. The plants’ leaves can produce products that are used in different ways. It is also made up of chemical properties that can cause serious health problems. It is a legal drug, but its manufacturing, marketing, distribution, and use is strictly controlled by the federal, provincial, and municipal laws. Tobacco is commonly used by so many people, with most of them starting to use it at the age of 11 and 15. When used, the effect is felt for less than 10 seconds and lasts for only a few minutes. Tobacco itself is not addictive, but the nicotine contained in it is very addictive.
Impacts of tobacco on society
The use of tobacco mainly has negative impacts on society, the significant implications affecting the health of the users. Tobacco smoking has been the most preventable cause of death in the United States. Tobacco smokers are most likely to develop heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer. Studies have shown the use of this drug has increased the chances of getting coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times. It has also increased the chances of getting a stroke by 2 to 4 times, the chances of men developing lung cancer have also increased by 25times, and that of women has increased by 25.7 times. Smoking has led to the diminishing overall health of individuals and raises health care utilization and cost. It can also cause lung disease by damaging airways and the small air sacs located in the lungs (Ajiboye, Gordon, Fox & Garcia 2019).
Tobacco also has an impact on the environment. The farming of the plant involves the use of chemicals, fertilizers, growth regulators, and pesticides. These chemicals might affect drinking water sources as a result of a run-off from tobacco growing areas. Studies also reveal that tobacco depletes soil nutrients because the plant consumes a lot of nitrogen and phosphate as compared to other crops. Due to the depletion of nutrients from the soil, it hinders other crops from growing well in the locations where tobacco is grown. Tobacco smoking also leads to the emission of carbon dioxide and methane. The levels of carbon dioxide and methane emissions stand at 2,600,000 and 5,200,000 tonnes, respectively. The growing and curing of tobacco have also led to vast deforestation.
The growing of tobacco has also impacted the economy. The lands used for subsistence farming of tobacco in low and middle-income countries diverted to growing tobacco as a cash crop. With the introduction of tobacco as a cash crop, a lot of investments by multinational tobacco companies have taken place, with companies like British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco mainly dominating the industry. Most of the low and middle-income countries have less legislative and economic restrictions to limit the multinational tobacco companies’ influence and investment. With the increase in the growth of agriculture, farmers experience short term financial benefits, but in the long run, it causes social, economic, health, and environmental detriments to other people (Kennedy 2017).
Historical changes that have occurred around tobacco
Tobacco is one of the principal cash crops in America. It was first discovered to the rest of the world after European explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries saw it being used as medicine and as a hallucinogen by Native Americans. The Europeans went back with the plant to Europe, and it was rapidly adopted by the rich and poor as a drug of choice. After its introduction in Europe, it was banned by the kings and popes, but its economic effects and wide popularity induced acceptance among all cultures.
There is scarce information about the use of tobacco in Native America before the arrival of the Europeans. Some Mayan and Incan drawings and carvings depicted that tobacco was used in ceremonies. The plant was also initially used in rituals and social contexts. Its mind-altering effects made the use of tobacco dominant in Native America for religious observances and in preparing for war. In the Mayans, it was offered to gods as incense burnt on altars and as smoke from mouths of worshippers. It was also used by desert Indians to cure colds. The introduction of tobacco in Europe was majorly focused on its narcotic effects. It was described as something that could bring calmness and giving room for meditation. It was used for recreational activities as compared to how it was previously used in Native America.
The use of tobacco was, however, not accepted by everyone. Some people viewed smoking of tobacco as dangerous, and others were against being exposed to the smoke emitted by tobacco users. King James I wrote about tobacco and stating that it a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the lungs. However, as the popularity of the drug grew, it stopped getting objections, and it was adopted as a drug because of its economic impacts.
Implications of tobacco on the need to improve healthcare and addiction treatment
The treatment of substance misuse and substance use disorder has been delivered separately from other mental and general health care services. The separation of health care services for substance misuse has been because it has been viewed as a social or criminal problem. Prevention services were no considered a responsibility of the health care system, and people requiring care for substance abuse disorders had access to limited treatment with no insurance. There was a need to integrate both prevention and treatment of substance abuse cases, hence the need for reforms in the health care system.
Because of the under-representation of individuals with substance abuse, there was a need for coming up with the Affordable Care Act to expand insurance coverage and reduce the number of uninsured people. The individuals who suffered from substance abuse also got the opportunity to be insured to get health care services, something which was previously not there. Under the new Affordable Care Act, these individuals can get substance use disorder prevention, treatment, and RSS. Recently the Congress approved the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, which funds pilot programs to increase access to, and Medicaid payment for, community mental health and substance use treatment services. All these amendments paved the way for the integration process in the health care sector.
Impacts of tobacco on the knowledge and skills necessary for addiction counselors
The use of tobacco and its cessation efforts have received a lot of interest in various health care settings, including substance abuse treatment. From different researches done, it is stated that a greater percentage of people who smoke are those dealing with mental illness. It is accepted that nicotine is addictive, but those with mental disorders resort to smoking because of other reasons. Some people smoke to cope with the difficult moments they are undergoing. With this information, the counselors involved in substance treatment can know how to deal with cases of tobacco abuse.
Counselors are greatly suited to help abusers quit because the profession has an array of tools focused on behavior modification. They can use motivational interviewing, cognitive behavior therapy, acceptance, and commitment therapy in helping out people who smoke. The counselors from previous cases of tobacco abuse have discovered that they need to ask their clients about their use of tobacco. They are also advised to encourage the users to quit, assess whether the clients are ready to quit, assist them with a quit plan, and arrange a follow-up contact to mitigate relapse (Bray 2019).
In conclusion, tobacco is a harmful drug that impacts negatively on society, and strict measures have to be put in place to control the use of the drug. But in a situation where drug abuse occurs, medical assistance and counseling programs are administered to assist in the control of the issue. Sensitization programs should also be carried out among the youth who are highly culpable in the use of this drug.
References
Ajiboye, A. S., Gordon, J. S., Fox, C. H., & Garcia, R. I. (2019). Oral Health Effects of Tobacco Products: Science and Regulatory Policy.
Bray, B. (2019, February 4). What counselors can do to help clients stop smoking. CounselingToday. https://ct.counseling.org/2016/11/counselors-can-help-clients-stop-smoking/#
Kennedy, F. (2017). The environmental and health impacts of tobacco agriculture, cigarette manufacture, and consumption.WorldHealthOrganization. https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/93/12/15-152744/en/