However there are still some activists dedicated to finding a safe, responsible and acceptable way to use tobacco. According to many experts around the world, tobacco has been used by people since at least 1 BC (History of Tobacco). If proven correct, this would mean that tobacco was one of the first plants used recreationally by humanity. Nearly a thousand years later, the Mayan civilization created the first pictorial representation of tobacco use on a ceramic vessel. About 500 years later Christopher Columbus, while exploring the new found land, documents an encounter with the local population where they brought him many gifts including: "A certain type of leaves that gave off a distinct fragrance." (Columbus) It was only decades later that people around the world began to realize the substantial effects of this new plant when smoked. In the 19th century the tobacco plant had its roots in all continents of the world. Due to the massive increase in tobacco production across the world, people have started experimenting with different uses for the plant. More importantly, the medicinal use of nicotine, the most prevalent and most addictive chemical. Nicotine has been used to treat everything from insect bites to Alzheimer's disease. A recent report published by Stanford University concluded that nicotine can increase the growth of blood vessels, which would help treat diseases such as