Tobacco Products When You Can't Smoke..

January 17, 2008 - As a result of the ever increasing number of smoking bans taking effect a growing market has been created to satisfy the nicotine addiction of tobacco smokers when they can't light up. The labeling for the majority of these products even states they are NOT to help people give up smoking but to get them past the cravings for nicotine. Even Snus does fall in this category, afterall Dr. Lars E. Rutqvist, the Vice President for Scientific Affairs at Swedish Match (the world's second largest maker of snuff and chewing tobacco and market leader in Sweden - volume share of 90% at the end of 2006) has stated the drive in Snus sales in Sweden has been in response to the smoking ban rather than the perceived advantage to user’s health. It's assumed that everyone has either used or a least heard of Listerine PocketPaks Breath Strips (that come in 4-flavors) - you place a strip in your mouth, it disolves instantly to freshen your breath. Now Fuisz Tobacco has announced the availability of a tobacco film strip that is spitless and dissolves entirely in the cheek. Nicogel is a water soluble hand gel containing liquefied tobacco. Another soluble hand gel is Nicofix. Star Scientific's tobacco lozenges - Ariva® and Stonewall® Dissolvable Smokeless Tobacco Products - have been around for a few years have recently had a rebirth. Firebreak by Swedish Match, once only sold in Japan but now also available to Swedish cigarette smokers, is a chewing-tobacco product. It comprises finely ground tobacco flour that is embedded in a chewing-gum base. Like other types of chewing tobacco, Firebreak requires a special chewing technique. The user chews the piece a few times then allows it to rest in his or her mouth before once again chewing. These products should be avoided because they don't help the smoker quit just prolong their nicotine addiction and worsen the tobacco related diseases that will shorten their lives. It seems that these products are readily available at various retail outlets, e.g., Walgreens is now stocking its more than 5,500 stores with packets of Nicogel tag line: "Beat the Ban" with Nicogel. You can expect more products to beat the world-wide smoking bans. For the sake of our children these products have to be stopped. (TobaccoWatch.org)