Smokeless Tobacco: “Can there be fire when there is no Smoke” Part 7

Smokers versus smokeless tobacco

When smokeless tobacco products are compared to smokers, there are definite benefits for the uses of the former drugs. The number of deaths from smoking is almost 70 times higher than the number from smokeless tobacco use. In terms of life expectancy, the smokeless-tobacco user loses only about 2 weeks on average, compared with the eight years lost by the smoker.

Another major health benefit: smokers who switch to smokeless tobacco produce no passive smoke to harm others. The American Heart Association estimates that 40,000 Americans die annually from diseases related to second-hand smoke. No one dies from the secondary effects of smokeless tobacco use. Thus, this proposal could be recommended solely on the basis of lives saved through the elimination of the effects of passive smoking.

These published facts are uncontested. Today a transition to smokeless tobacco is not merely a theoretical proposition based strategy of smoking cessation; it has already become accepted as an alternate to smoking tobacco in many States.

Has the government strategy of getting smoker to switch worked? Data from the CDC does indicate that more than 1.5 million smokers have used smokeless tobacco to quit smoking. This transition has been possible because the smokeless products also contain nicotine- which is more effective transferred to the body. In addition, the newer smokeless products have been designed in various flavors, packages and resemble candy or chewing gum. Most industry based data reveals that long terms smokers have made a successful transition to these smokeless products and the relapse has been minimal. With the newer variety of smokeless tobacco products, the outmoded and disgusting habit of spitting the smokeless products is only for the history books.

Industry based data reveal that once smokers switch over to the smokeless products, they regain the normal life expectancy. The risk of lung and heart disease is also decreased. The companies mention that switching to smokeless tobaccos is associated with giant gains in health benefits.

One always has to be aware that a lot of studies are sponsored by the companies who make these products and unfortunately the articles/newsletters are almost always written by health care workers who have genuine interest in these companies. So the current scientific data on health benefits of switching should always be taken in with a grain of salt.