Download Cigarettes - Gwent Police

SUBSTANCE MISUSE EDUCATION AND PREVENTION
CIGARETTES
also known as: FAGS, SMOKES, CIGGIES, ROLLIES
WHAT IS IT?
Cigarettes contain tobacco (dried leaves of tobacco plants) and
tobacco contains the drug nicotine, which is highly addictive.
When you begin to smoke tobacco, it can be very difficult to stop.
WHAT THE LAW SAYS:
It is illegal for shopkeepers to sell cigarettes or tobacco to
people under 16 years old.
Otherwise, smoking tobacco is legal, but in many cities worldwide and in the UK smoking is banned in public places.
THE EFFECTS:
• At first, the nicotine in the tobacco can make you feel sick and dizzy.
• Nicotine is a stimulant! Many people say that smoking helps
them to calm down, but it is actually having the opposite effect
on their brain.
• Nicotine acts very quickly (around eight seconds) and is very
powerful.
• Nicotine increases your heart rate and blood pressure.
• Nicotine is very addictive both physically and psychologically,
and smokers often feel desperate to have a cigarette when they
have not had one for a few hours.
THE RISKS:
• Most smokers wish they had never started because they are so
addicted to cigarettes and nicotine.
• Tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, many of
which are extremely toxic.
• Smokers often suffer with more health problems than nonsmokers, especially chest, breathing, heart and lung diseases.
Long-term smoking can lead to you developing cancer, emphysema
and heart problems, and they can all kill you!
• Smoking can make your fingers and teeth turn yellow/brown and
make your breath smell. Over time, smoking can also damage your
skin and hair condition.
• Smoking is very expensive. Ten cigarettes a day will cost you
around £1,000 a year.
• Breathing in other people’s smoke (known as “passive smoking”)
can cause breathing and chest problems, including asthma
and cancer.
• Smoking kills thousands of people prematurely every year.
PLAY IT SAFE:
All drugs can severely damage your physical and mental health.
They can get you into trouble with the law and even kill you. But
if you do decide to use drugs, reduce the risks by finding out as
much as you can about the effects, risks, etc, and then decide if it
is really worth it.
If you would like more information on how to quit or reduce
smoking, or general information on tobacco contact:
NHS Smoking Freephone helpline: 0800 169 0 169
FIRST AID
If your mate collapses, call 999
Get help to put them into the recovery position
Tell the medics what they have taken
IT COULD SAVE THEIR LIFE
(N.B. Police do not automatically
attend all cases of overdose
which are reported to the
ambulance service)