Nicotine is the drug in tobacco that makes smoking a powerful addiction. Experts rank nicotine ahead of alcohol, cocaine and heroin with regard to the severity of dependence resulting from its use. The health risks of smoking and smokeless tobacco use are well-established and numerous. Many organs and body systems are adversely affected by tobacco smoke. Each year in Canada, more than 16,000 cardiovascular deaths result from smoking.
Smoking is a major risk factor for heart attacks and sudden cardiac death.
Smoking also increases the risk of recurrence in persons who have survived a heart attack. More than 2,000 deaths from stroke each year in Canada result from smoking. This condition leads to leg pain, difficulty in walking, gangrene and, ultimately, loss of limb. The causal association between smoking and atherosclerosis is most marked in the abdominal aorta. About 1,000 smoking attributable deaths occur in Canada each year from aortic aneurysms.