| Snus. Gesundheit. Snus isn’t the sound you make when
you sneeze, and it’s not a short nap … as in, “he took a 10-minute snooze
after lunch.” Snus is a type of moist, ground tobacco that originated in Sweden. It
quite literally means smokeless tobacco in Swedish.
With
more smoke-free air laws being passed and less people smoking overall … the chew/spit
tobacco market is actually growing. |
While common in Sweden, snus has only recently
made its way to the United States, with Philip Morris USA and Reynolds-American
International (RAI) Tobacco Company, test marketing their version of snus under two very
familiar cigarette brand names … Marlboro and Camel. |
Why all the fuss, and why have Philip Morris and RAI jumped onto the
snus bandwagon?
With more smoke-free air laws being passed and less people smoking overall … the
chew/spit tobacco market is actually growing.
And, that’s one of the reasons why Philip Morris and RAI are testing the waters
with their snus products.
| Snus most closely resembles chew/spit tobacco.
It’s smokeless. It’s inserted in the mouth. It generally comes in a pouch
that’s placed between the lip and gum. One way that snus is different from
chew/spit tobacco is that it is kept cold to avoid fermenting. |
Tobacco
companies readily promote the ability to use snus in places that smoking is no longer
allowed, like airplanes, restaurants and bars. |
Many claim that snus is spitless, so it’s easier to hide the fact
that you’re using it, while also taking away some of the ‘yuck’ factor
associated with chew/spit tobacco.
Tobacco companies readily promote the ability to use snus in places that smoking is no
longer allowed, like airplanes, restaurants and bars.
Yet, the primary ingredient in snus is tobacco. Nicotine is a naturally occurring
substance found in tobacco. Nicotine is highly addictive. Indeed, a nicotine addiction is
one of the hardest to break.
And, snus – like all other tobacco products – can result in health
consequences to the user.
All smokeless tobacco users increase their risk of developing oral and gastrointestinal
cancers. Some of the other effects of smokeless tobacco use include oral leukoplakia
(white mouth lesions that can become cancerous), gum disease, and gum recession (when the
gum pulls away from the teeth).
Don’t be tempted by the name, the claimed convenience, or the claimed health
benefits … the best thing for your health and the health of those around you is to
quit using all types of tobacco or to never start.
For help in quitting tobacco, contact the Nebraska Tobacco Quitline
toll-free at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669).
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snus
(accessed 8/8/07)
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-08-06-snus_
N.htm?csp=34 (accessed 8/8/07)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicotine
(accessed 8/8/07)
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Quitting
_Smokeless_Tobacco.asp?sitearea=&level= (accessed 8/9/07)
http://tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/pdf/0231.pdf
(accessed 8/9/07)
http://www.who.int/tobacco/sactob/recommendations/en/smokeless_
en.pdf (accessed 8/9/07)
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/Factsheets/smokeless
_tobacco.htm (accessed 8/9/07)
http://www.smokefree.gov/Docs2/SmokelessTobacco_Q&A.pdf
(accessed 8/9/07)
http://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/tcrb/stfact_sheet_combined
10-23-02.pdf (accessed 8/9/07)
August 2007
For more information, contact:
Tobacco Free Nebraska
P.O. Box 95026
Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-5026
Phone: (402) 471-2101
E-mail: TFN Info |
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