The market test of Marlboro SNUS, a new spitless, smokeless tobacco product, has begun in the Dallas Area in an effort to spur sales as cigarette cons

August 18, 2007 - The market test of Marlboro SNUS, a new spitless, smokeless tobacco product, has begun in the Dallas Area in an effort to spur sales as cigarette consumption continuous to decline. Philip Morris has said, the popularity of Marlboro "may help encourage trial of SNUS by adult smokers." In Dallas, the law is simple - no smoking in restaurants. Now the new Philip Morris product will help tobacco users get around that.( CBS 11 News Dallas, Jay Gormley reporting). Already free coupons are available for Marlboro SNUS (Dallas - Craigslist). Our highest priority has to be keeping children from beginning to use tobacco products. Kylie Meiner, the tobacco prevention coordinator for Multnomah County (Oregon) where one of the two original test sites for Camel Snus is located is convinced that the marketing is aimed at young people. One direct mail item she received read “Camel Snus – be the 1st on your block to try it” (Portland Tribune, 11/20/2006). The European Court of Justice ruled on (December 2004) that an EU ban on the sale of snus - Swedish snuff tobacco - should remain in force. Noting the risk that young people would become addicted to nicotine if they begin to use snus, the Court said that its decision was motivated by a desire to protect the health of European citizens. (See SNUS.biz for more...) Some public health professionals seem to think SNUS should be used as a harm reduction product in inveterate (firmly and long established) smokers that have no interest in quitting, e.g. a paper by Dr. Brad Roduand William T. Godshall, M.P.H. entitled: "Tobacco Harm Reduction: An Alternate Cessation Strategy for Inveterate Smokers," from the Dec. 21, 2006 issue (Vol. 3, issue 1) of Harm Reduction Journal. Tobacco companies are targeting a much younger crowd of young adults and any kids they can entice along the way - witness the tagline for Camel SNUS: "Pleasure for wherever." We must prevent this from happening or we'll end up with a generation of nicotine addicts. See related Newsbriefs: August 14, 2007, August 7, 2007, August 6, 2007,July 6, 2007, July 5, 2007