Tobacco is usually smoked – that is, it is burned and the smoke is inhaled. This allows the nicotine to be absorbed through the mouth and lungs, and the effects are felt straight away. Tobacco can be smoked in different ways:

• Manufactured or roll your own cigarettes (tobacco wrapped in a roll of paper)
• Cigars (tobacco wrapped in a tobacco leaf or the leaf of another plant)
• Pipes (loose-leaf tobacco smoked in a pipe)
• Waterpipe / shisha / hookah (a device with a base filled with water, a tube, and a bowl where the tobacco is burnt – smoke from the burning tobacco passes through the water before being inhaled).

Tobacco can also be chewed, snorted, or held between the cheek and gums. When used in these ways, the nicotine is absorbed through the nose and mouth. These “smokeless tobacco” products (including chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, snuff, and snus) are not legally available for purchase in Australia.