It was a bright Saturday afternoon at a traditional wedding ceremony. The atmosphere was jolly as guests exchanged pleasantries amidst the beautiful setting. The groom and bride had just been joined together and declared husband and wife, after which they made their way into the inner chambers, it was dance time for the guests at the party. One of the guests, a middle aged man in his late forties stepped forward giving a solo dance, he danced gently and gracefully to the music as the on looking guests cheered him on and then it happened.

Smoking is a topic that has generated all sorts of views and comments over the years. It dates back to as early as 5000 BC in the Americas. The arrival of the colonial masters as far back as the 16th century has promoted the farming, buying and selling and resulting use of tobacco.  General pop culture portraying smoking as cool, affluent and attractive on social media and our television screen has not been in any way helpful. The menace smoking has posed to the different organ systems in the body and general health of smokers are quite alarming. Today, we will take a look at the effects of tobacco on the general health, and in subsequent posts, we will discuss reasons to quit smoking and even the journey to quitting.