Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

Compare and contrast the health effects of smoking cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco. Also discuss why they are not all the same in terms of health risks and then rank them by nicotine levels.

The leading cause of preventable death, disease and disability is tobacco. Tobacco contains nicotine and that is the addictive substance. Smoking can cause many diseases like lung cancer and other types of cancer. Also heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases can occur in a smoker. Lung cancer is more common with cigarette smokers because they inhale. Since cigars are not normally inhaled they do not cause lung cancer as much as cigarette smokers but they do run a much higher risk of developing mouth cancer. Smokeless tobacco is not a health substitute for cigarettes and cigars. It is just as risky as any other form of tobacco. Smokeless tobacco increases the risk of oral cancer, tooth decay and tooth loss. Cigars have the same amount of nicotine as three packs of cigarettes. Smoking only three cigars in a night can make a person become addicted. Smokeless tobacco in a pocket-size pack also has the same amount of nicotine as one cigar or three packs of cigarettes.

1. Choose one illicit drug and describe the following aspects: what it is made from, the routes of administration, the effects (long and short term) & whether or not dependency develops. This should be at least 500 words.

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) has many different names like; microdot, sugar cubes, tabs, hits and acid. It is a man-made drug that is used since the 1960s because of its hallucinogenic properties. It is manufactured from lysergic acid found in ergot which is a fungus that grows on rye and other grains. Liquid LSD is usually a clear liquid in a small container but it is more commonly found on "blotter" paper that is cut into tiny squares. They are dipped in other chemical agents to help bind the LSD to the paper. It is most normally taken orally but can also be put into eye when it's in a liquid form. It can also be a power or crystal, gelatin squares or laced on sugar cubes. It is both colorless and odorless. The paper designs range from simple start to exotic artwork and cost about $2 to $5 dollars per hit. It is popular among college and high school students but some users can be as young as junior high. It is a product of professional chemists. Lysergic Acid is illegal and since it is the primary chemical involved a profession is required to turn the compound into LSD. It was first created by Sandoz Hofmann and was marketed as a cure-all drug. It was suppose to cure everything from schizophrenia, criminal behavior and alcoholism. LSD became famous by Timothy Leary and created a cultural phenomenon. It is considered the most potent hallucinogenic substance. The immediate risk is very unpredictable depending on the user, amount taking, surroundings