The Effects of TobaccoSmoking became widespread at the beginning of this century. The production of flue-cured tobacco, the development of cigarette rolling machines, and public health concerns about the spread of tuberculosis germs through spittoons associated with snuff and chewing tobacco have all contributed to an increase in smoking. As smoking became more common, health problems emerged that appear to be linked to smoking. In the 1950s, Sir Richard Doll, a British researcher, studied the smoking habits of more than 34,000 doctors and discovered a strong correlation between smoking and disease. Throughout the 1950s, research data on the effects of tobacco on human health was substantial enough in the United States to warrant appropriate remedial action. » Since then, every surgeon general has spoken out against smoking; the current surgeon general proclaims that smoking is the Medical science is generally agreed that tobacco consumption endangers one's health. Lung cancer was the first health effect to be linked to smoking. Subsequent research has linked tobacco use to heart disease, emphysema and several others. other forms of cancer. Recent research has even suggested harmful effects on the unborn children of smokers and on non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke from smokers. One of the benefits of a free society is freedom of choice for adults, provided they are free to choose. because this freedom does not deprive others of their freedom. The decision to smoke may appear to be one of these choices, since it is generally through this that the health risks of smoking are borne largely by the individuals who make this choice. Factors that complicate the simplicity of this argument are: 1) Smoking is a social custom and when one person smokes, other people in the area are exposed to the smoke. 2) Adult smoking habits provide a powerful model that affects the habits of children and youth. 3) Society must bear part of the social cost (increase in insurance premiums and various tax charges) of deaths and disabilities caused by tobacco use. The tobacco plant is believed to have originated in the Western Hemisphere. The species most commonly grown for North American and European tobacco products is Nicotiana tabacum. The leaves of the plant are prepared to be smoked, chewed or sniffed. Additionally, nicotine tobacco contains more than 19 known carcinogens (most known as "tar") and more than 2,000 chemicals. Before European influence in the Americas, tobacco was used by the Indians of Mexico and Peru for ceremonies, medicinal purposes, and to alleviate error! Undefined bookmark.