what is tobacco

Tobacco is the common name for several plants in the genus Nicotiana of the family Solanaceae. It is the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. Tobacco contains the highly addictive stimulant alkaloid nicotine as well as harmala alkaloids. It is grown for its leaves, which are dried and fermented before being put into tobacco products. Tobacco can be smoked, chewed, or sniffed, and it is a leading cause of many cancers, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats, killing over 8 million people a year worldwide. There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco, and all forms of tobacco use are harmful. The economic costs of tobacco use are substantial, including significant health care costs for treating diseases caused by tobacco use and the lost human capital resulting from tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality.