Nicotine is considered a drug. It is a toxic colorless substance that is produced by tobacco plants as a way of protecting themselves in the wild environment from grazing animals. The botanical name for nicotine is Nicotiana tabacum. For commercial purposes the tobacco plant is dried to produce cigars, cigarettes, snuff and chew tobacco. When extracted from the plant, nicotine is used in the manufacture of nicotine replacement products such as nicotine gum and nicotine inhalers. It is also used in the filling of electronic cigarettes cigarettes after some further processing.

Nicotine is the key behind tobacco cigarette addiction. It reaches the brain where it causes addiction and dependency after entering the bloodstream through the lining of the lungs. The whole process for nicotine to reach the brain takes between 10 to 15 seconds so fast that addicted smokes feel relieve as soon as they inhale the tobacco smoke. The nicotine vaccine currently under study aims to prevent nicotine from reaching the brain by making it too big to cross the blood-brain barrier.

Nicotine can also enter the bloodstream through the mouth and skin. Tobacco farm workers are in danger of nicotine poisoning especially in developing countries because of this ability of nicotine to be absorbed by the skin. Most farm workers in developing countries lack adequate protective clothing hence the high risk of poisoning. Nicotine in its purest form is so deadly a few drops can kill a person without much effort. Animals and infants are most vulnerable to poisoning when they eat cigarette butts or discarded nicotine gum. People who are quitting smoking and using nicotine replacement products and continue to smoke will also run the risk of severe poisoning.

Nicotine poisoning signs and symptoms will include dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and increased drooling. The severity of symptoms of poisoning will depend on the amount ingested, and the form of nicotine consumed. When ingested in liquid or gum form symptoms will appear in 15 to 30 minutes. More severe nicotine poisoning symptoms will include abnormal blood pressure or heartbeat, slowed breathing, seizures and coma. Should the dose be large enough death will result. No long term effects of nicotine have been identified.

It is possible to detect nicotine in the body by doing tests of the blood or urine. These tests are used by researchers when checking exposure to second hand smoke. However, nicotine rapidly exists the body. What remains is its metabolite called cotinine. By testing for cotinine doctors can determine exposure to nicotine or tobacco smoke.

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