Facts about smoking

Smoking involves inhaling smoke from burning tobacco products, usually cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemical substances, among the most well-known are nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide. Nicotine is an alkaloid that has a stimulating effect on the nervous system and can cause addiction.

Different forms of smoking

Cigarettes are the most common form of smoking today, but there are also other products that can be smoked:

• Cigars and pipe smoking have a longer tradition and are often used in social or ceremonial contexts.
• Hookahsare mainly used in certain cultures and involve filtering the tobacco through water before inhaling the smoke.
• Snus and chewing tobacco are alternative ways of consuming tobacco without smoking, but they are based on the same raw material.

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Try IQOS ILUMA i for 60 days

Discover a better alternative by heating tobacco instead of burning it.

No smell of smoke

Heats tobacco & nicotine without burning it

No second-hand smoke and no ash

With IQOS there is no fire and therefore no smoke or ash follows - and no cleaning required, ever, with our latest ILUMA series!

Try IQOS ILUMA i

The history of smoking

Smoking has a long and complex history stretching back thousands of years. Tobacco was originally used by indigenous peoples in America for ceremonial and medicinal purposes. When tobacco was introduced to Europe in the 16th century, it quickly became popular and was considered by many to be an exotic commodity and a plant with medicinal properties. It was not until the 20th century, with the mass production of cigarettes, that smoking became a widespread and global habit.

Tobacco was introduced in Sweden in the 17th century and was most widespread in the 20th century. In the 1960s, half of all men in Sweden smoked daily, and in the 1970s, about one in three women smoked. In recent decades, attitudes toward smoking have changed and the number of smokers has declined. In Sweden, about 5 percent of the population smokes daily, which is a historically low figure.

Smoking in different countries

Smoking today looks very different in different parts of the world, and the differences are due to factors such as economics, culture, legislation, and public health initiatives. In many high-income countries such as Sweden, Norway, Canada, and Australia, the proportion of daily smokers has declined sharply in recent decades thanks to high tobacco taxes, strict advertising bans, smoking bans in public places, and extensive information campaigns. In Sweden, around 5% of the population are daily smokers, which is among the lowest levels in Europe.

However, the situation is different in several low- and middle-income countries where the tobacco industry still has a strong influence and where legislation is often weaker. For example, countries in Asia, such as China and Indonesia, have very high smoking rates, especially among men. In China, over 300 million people smoke, which is almost one-third of all smokers worldwide.

Health effects

There is now broad scientific consensus that smoking has serious health effects, which has been confirmed by extensive research. The thousands of chemical substances found in tobacco smoke affect the body in many different ways. Smoking increases the risk of a number of diseases, can cause breathing difficulties, and has a negative impact on the cardiovascular system.

Recovery after you quit smoking

Studies show that the body has a remarkable ability to recover after quitting smoking. Just 20 minutes after the last cigarette, blood pressure and pulse begin to normalize. Within a few years, the risk of heart attack and stroke decreases significantly.