Who Uses Smokeless Tobacco

Smokeless tobacco, also referred to as snuff or chew, is a tobacco product commonly associated with specific sub-cultures in the U.S., most commonly rural Westerners (cowboys), middle and lower class athletes, and blue collar workers. Nicotine is absorbed into the body by placing fine cut tobacco in the space between the gums and cheek, where it enters the body through the capillaries.

The Health Risks of Smokeless Tobacco

Though this process eliminates the negative respiratory effects associated with cigarette smoke (hence its preference by athletes), smokeless tobacco has been associated with a wide range of health problems, including mouth, tongue, throat, larynx, and stomach cancer. Also common are gingivitis and tooth decay.

Smokeless tobacco has been found to contain 28 carcinogenic (cancer-causing) compounds and the nicotine concentration is much higher than in a cigarette; a single pinch of smokeless tobacco can have as much as five cigarettes’ worth of nicotine.

Smokeless tobacco advertisers spent about $250 million in 2001, with the product’s popularity growing as an alternative to cigarettes, especially as public smoking bans become more prevalent.