Smokeless Tobacco: “Can there be fire when there is no Smoke” Part 2

Only in the last 2 decades has there been a major thrust to reduce the morbidity and mortality of smoking.

Faced with increasing smoking bans and declining cigarette consumption in North America, the tobacco industry has been trying to discover newer smokeless tobacco products. The products have already initiated a lot of critic. The tobacco industry claims that these products enable one to stop smoking and are much safer- the tobacco antagonists on the other claim that these products are a mere alternative to smoking and just as addictive. Critics also claim that these products are attracting an increasing number of younger adults, many who have never smoked before. None of the companies is claiming that the new products are safer than cigarettes.

It is estimated that close to 10-12 million individuals in the USA use smokeless tobacco products. The term smokeless tobacco is used to define non smoking products such as dip, plug, chew, snuff or spit tobacco, refers to both chewing tobacco (coarse or fine cut). Snuff may be used in a dry form, which is inhaled nasally, or in the more commonly used moist form, which is placed in the mouth.

Over the past 2 decades, the popularity of oral smokeless products has rapidly especially among white males. Data from the US centers for disease control and prevention indicate that use of smokeless tobacco products is widespread across the nation and the percentage of male high school students users is increasing annually. The highest prevalence of smokeless tobacco use is in West Virginia, Arizona and Wyoming. The most surprising result of the data was that smokeless tobaccos use among older women was also increasing in most US states.

Current data indicates that the use of smokeless tobacco products begins relatively early in life for most users. Surveys indicate that children and high school students have experimented with these products as early as age 9. The majority of users claim to have started using these products at an early age and continue throughout life.

Smokeless tobacco goes by numerous synonym- smokeless tobacco, spit tobacco, chew, snuff, pinch, plug or dip — but whatever it is called it sure is not harmless. If one is led to believe all what the tobacco industry claims, then switch from cigarettes to smokeless tobacco is a godsend. However, be warned this is exactly what the tobacco industry claimed about cigarette 50 years ago. All Tobacco products are harmful; irrespective whether one inhales them, chews them or swallows them.