Smokeless tobacco use by boys in Kansas on the rise..

October 23, 2007 - Smokeless tobacco use by boys in Kansas on the rise.. With the push toward smoke-free work sites and public spaces, some people are turning to smokeless tobacco to get their nicotine fix. No one is using smokeless tobacco more in Kansas than high school boys, according to a Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) official. The 2005 Kansas Youth Risk Behavior Survey found 17.4 percent of high school males in the state were using chewing tobacco or snuff. The national average is 13.6 percent among high school boys. Ginger Park, media and policy coordinator for KDHE's tobacco use prevention program indicated that the tobacco industry seems to be expanding its marketing strategy to other locales and targeting younger users with smokeless tobaccos with peach, cherry, apple and citrus flavorings. "They are appealing to kids," she said, adding that tobacco companies deny that allegation." Park also stated that, "Using a can of snuff is the same as 60 cigarettes as far as nicotine goes, and and maybe more addictive because they're getting a quick nicotine fix." (The Wichita Eagle, Kansas.com) Smokeless Tobacco Causes: BAD BREATH, YELLOWISH BROWN TEETH, MOUTH SORES, HAIRY TONGUE- see Image, CRACKED AND BLEEDING LIPS,LOSS OF TEETH, SHRINKING GUMS, HAIRY TONGUE. (kstask.org) Kansas City, MO is one of the additional test marketing sites for Camel SNUS. (TobaccoWatch.org)