Nicotine Facts - Culled from Various Sources

1. Nicotine actually changes the structure and function of your brain, requiring it to constantly want more of the drug.
2. Nicotine is poisonous to many insects.  In fact, in the past it wasn't all that uncommon for ranchers to walk cattle through nicotine baths.  In modern times is is an active ingredient in some pesticides.
3. Nicotine is actually classified as a stimulant, as it increases heart rate and metabolism in general.
4. 82% of individuals suffering from Schizophrenia smoke.
5. Nicotine has only one known medical use:  as a product in gums & patches to help people quit smoking.
6. Nicotine impedes the body's ability to rid itself of damaged or dead cells, which encourages the formation of cancer.
7. 60 mg of nicotine will kill you.
8. Once inhaled in smoke, nicotine is able to impact the brain's functioning in less than 10 seconds.
9. Nicotine, like heroin and cocaine, causes the release of dopamine into the brain.  Over time, the amount of nicotine required to stimulate dopamine release increases.
10. Nicotine impedes the release of insulin from the pancreas.  This elevates blood sugar levels.

Bottom Line:  Smoking is simply a socially acceptable delivery mechanism for the highly addictive (and toxic) drug nicotine.  If you smoke please try to quit.