The Art of Snusing..

November 10, 2007 - Snus is both smokeless and spitless. But in order to be spitless the packet (pouch, sachet) has to be placed properly in a particular location in the mouth between the upper lip and gums. The pocket if moved at all will result in more saliva being produced and the urge to spit will increase. Drooling can be a problem, especially for the inexperienced user and, of course, the juice that is swallowed contains lots of toxins including carcinogens. More and more studies are surfacing that indicate that Snus users are at an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. In addition, a lesion can form at the location in the mouth where the Snus is continually placed. Snus is very much a Swedish phenomenon and has been around for 200 years - the portioned packet was introduced into Swedish culture in the 1970s. Between the mid-1800s and the Great Depression, over a million Swedes immigrated to America, bringing with them their yearning for Swedish snus. The European Union had banned Snus but it is such a part of Swedish culture that they were able to write a provision that allowed Sweden to still sell Snus but still join the EU. The EU was afraid that Snus would be appealing to children. Certain public health professionals want inveterate (hard-nose, long established, deep-rooted) cigarette smokers to switch to Snus. But is this realistic - will inveterate smokers take time out to learn the art of Snusing. You can be sure - the group that will take time to experiment and learn the proper Snus sucking technique are young adults and youngsters. If we let this happen we will end up with another generation of nicotine addicts - never able to reach their full potential. The taglines for Skoal Dry, "No Smoke, No Spit, No Boundaries" and Camel SNUS, "Pleasure for wherever!!" add more encouragement to give it a try. Click on Image to enlarge.. (TobaccoWatch.org)