Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 16, 1990 TAG: 9005160548
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-13 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LEONARD J. UTTAL
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Some become "AA's" - Arrogant Addicts. You know the type: They rant about their rights, that it is legal, that if you do not like their secondhand wafts, you get out of the way, that's tough. Wherever "AA's" go, they are surrounded by scientific warnings of the serious health dangers they take upon themselves, and inflict upon others.
As a result it has become law in most of the United States to protect non-smokers, even finally in tobacco state Virginia. Reasonable public-facility businesses and public buildings for some time have privately provided for the non-smoker to enjoy clean air. Smoking areas are provided in such places, yet some "AA's" violate the regulations and risk their careers.
No one chooses to smoke except the first time. Thereafter, if the person lights up again, he or she is on the road to addiction.
Users, between hacking and spewing phlegm, argue they see no harm in using this time-honored product, which employs so many people and brings in so much money to the commonwealth. This apparent but false benignity is due to the fact that in using tobacco, the nicotine content is "cut." Concentrated nicotine is a quick and deadly poison, which has been banned from most industrial use. The user "cuts" it by taking it puff by puff, or chaw by chaw, or snort by snort, but the poisoning effect then becomes cumulative.
Doubters should visit the terminal wards of hospitals and witness the effect. In fact, most of us knew people who died from the long-term use of tobacco.
Concentrate the nicotine as does the user of cocaine, and the "rush" will be pretty much the same if you survive it. During the days of the use of recreational drugs by purging in the 17th century in Europe, especially in France, tobacco was taken this way and a "rush" was experienced.
For a lift to cope with the elevation, High Andean natives in South America use coca in the form of chewing the leaves or inbibing a tea, not concentrated as a powder or "crack," as do our street users. Natives in the Inca ruin area offer coca tea to tourists with impunity by the government. Such use of coca is analogous to our use of coffee for the lift given by the caffeine. Both cocaine and caffeine (and related theine from traditional tea and theobromine from chocolate) are deadly botanical addictive alkaloids in concentrated doses. Most of us can tolerate coffee (and related beverages) in moderate doses, but we all know that used to excess, health effects can be deleterious.
A list of addictive toxic botanical alkaloids includes: nicotine, cocaine, heroin, caffeine, Indian Tobacco, Deadly Nightshade, Jimson Weed and Yew. All are deadly in concentration. In slight doses, they can be harmful if used cumulatively.
The list is just a sample of nicotine, cocaine and heroin chemical cognates that differ from each other only the matter of a few hydrogen atoms and the presence or absence of oxygen atoms. There are literally thousands of such alkaloids among plants. The two children are most likely to get into are Yew and Deadly Nightshade, because of attractive fruits.
OK smokers and tobacco companies, sock it to me, but it is all scientific truth. At least you "AA's" know the nature of the poison you are consuming is pretty much the same as cocaine and heroin chemically. If the two latter were of ancient use in our country (actually, before 1914, when they were made illegal, they were so used), and nicotine were the new "in" drug, Drug Czar Bennett would be chasing down the last, while the other two would be legal.
I am sure few smokers will quit because of this article, but please confess you are not doing it because you like it but because you are addicts, and kindly keep your exhalations to yourself. July 1 that becomes the law.
by CNB