Tobacco & Nicotine
Cigarettes
Street names: Cigs, Smokes, Fags, Cancer sticks, Squares
Overdose? Act now. Call emergency services — say "unresponsive, not breathing". Give naloxone for opioid-like signs. Hotlines
⚡What it does
- Nicotine hit in 10 seconds: alertness, calm, appetite suppression
- The ritual: hand-to-mouth, smoke breaks, social bonding
⚠Key risks
- THE leading preventable cause of death — 8 million deaths/year globally, ~480,000/year US
- Half of long-term smokers die from it: lung cancer, COPD, heart disease, stroke
- Every cigarette shortens life ~11 minutes; a pack a day = 7 years over a lifetime
- Adolescent nicotine rewires the developing brain — attention, mood, impulse control
- Not just lungs: bladder, pancreas, cervix, colorectal cancers
- Secondhand smoke kills ~1.2 million non-smokers/year
✚Overdose signs
- Nicotine poisoning (rare from smoking alone): nausea, dizziness, vomiting
- Racing heart, sweating
- Severe poisoning (kids eating cigarettes/vapes): seizures, respiratory failure — emergency
📋Quick facts
Also known asCigs, Smokes, Fags, Cancer sticks, Squares
CategoryTobacco & Nicotine
Schedule / classLegal 18/21+ worldwide; advertising heavily restricted
AppearanceWhite filtered sticks or unfiltered; packs with graphic warnings in most countries
Street price$5–$15 per pack (US; $15–30 NYC/AU); cheapest drug addiction per day
Legal statusLegal adult product; sale to minors banned everywhere; plain packaging in UK/AU/France
Last updated2026-09-17
Sources: WHO, CDC, NIDA
Category comparison — Tobacco & Nicotine
| Substance | Class | Top risks | Street price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cigarettes | Legal 18/21+ worldwide; advertising heavily restricted | THE leading preventable cause of death — 8 million deaths/year globally, ~480,000/year US; Half of long-term smokers die from it: lung cancer, COPD, heart disease, stroke | $5–$15 per pack |
| Nicotine E-Cigarettes & Disposables | Legal 18/21+; FDA authorization required | THE teen nicotine epidemic — 2023-2025: disposables with up to 5% (50 mg/mL) nicotine salt, designed for addiction; Adolescent brain development disruption — attention, learning, mood regulation, impulse control | $5–$25 per disposable |
| Snus (Swedish Oral Tobacco) | Legal Sweden | THE HARM-REDUCTION DEBATE: Swedish snus is proven far safer than smoking — Sweden has Europe's lowest male lung-cancer rates — but it is NOT harmless; Oral cancer risk (lower than chewing tobacco, not zero) | $4–$8 per can |
Street prices are regional estimates. Potency and cuts vary constantly.
?Frequently asked questions
What does Cigarettes look like?
White filtered sticks or unfiltered; packs with graphic warnings in most countries
What are the signs of a Cigarettes overdose?
Nicotine poisoning (rare from smoking alone): nausea, dizziness, vomiting; Racing heart, sweating; Severe poisoning (kids eating cigarettes/vapes): seizures, respiratory failure — emergency Call emergency services immediately.
How addictive is it?
THE leading preventable cause of death — 8 million deaths/year globally, ~480,000/year US Dependence can develop with regular use.