In Process - Comments..

January 28, 2009 -

A few comments on article. Tobacco Road Takes a Turn to the Smokeless by Kevin Helliker, The Wall Street Journal, 1/27/2009.

Critical - no mention of children main resource exposure to these tobacco products.
In these tough economic times, it is more important than ever that we redouble efforts to care for our nation’s most precious resources: its children.
avoid the temptation of tobacco avoid nicotine addiction never able to reach their full potential..

Sales of Snus (Swedish moist snuff) have failed just about everywhere in the where it has been marketed except in Sweden and Norway. In Sweden snus has been used for over 200 years it's a tradition - part of their culture. In Norway (not an EU member) to hook kids on Snus Swedish Match produced a starter kit consisting of various Snus pouches flavored with various fruit flavors.

Sales of Camel SNUS has failed miserably in Raleigh, NC - c-store owners are having a hard time giving the stuff away. R.J. Reynolds has tried every gimmick imaginable to get people to try the stuff without success. The vast majority of results from other c-stores located in cities where the product has been marketed show simlar results. This is not only true for Camel Snus but Marlboro Snus and even in Canada with Imperial of Canada's duMariner test marketed in Edmonton and Ottawa.

Amongst some snus enthusiasts Camel Snus is looked upon as somewhat less appetizing, maybe even a bit lowbrow—compared to Swedish brands like General made by Swedish Match. Camel Snus was first made in Sweden under contract, by British American Tobacco PLC, which owns 42 percent of Reynolds American. Then it was made in the Reynolds plant in Winston-Salem. and now by Reynolds at the Conwood plant in Clarkeville, TN. Camel Snus is a R.J. Reynolds Tobacco product not Conwoods.

Camel Snus is smoke-free and spit-free but users found fault (didn't care for) with the product in that the pouch still had to be disposed off. The dissolvables that Reynolds is now starting to test market have one extra perk - fully dissolve in the mouth. For snus to be spitless the placement in mouth of the pouch is critical if the pouch is moved around or placed in a different location more saliva will be produced increasing the urge to spit.

The European Union was so concerned that snus would appeal to kids they banned the product in all countries except Sweden. Initially the small bags of tobacco were banned in Britain in 1990 after the US Smokeless Tobacco company (now owned by Altria Group, Inc.) tried to introduce sweet-flavored tobacco capsules called Skoal Bandits. The ban was supplanted by EU-wide legislation in May, 1992. The legislation prohibited the placing on the market of tobacco for oral use; the primary reason "...products for oral use will be used above all by young people, thus leading to nicotine addiction..." . (The prohibition was introduced by Directive 92/41/EEC amending Directive 89/622/EEC.)

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 kids that want to be young adults. 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.

Helliker in his article doesn't once mention children - our future leaders. Kids - enticed to try the stuff would become nicotine addicts never able to reach their full potential. We know he has a smart wife that was going to give him the boot if he didn't stop using tobacco.

Recent study - . In Sweden, many smokers quit smoking by switching to smokeless tobacco. But researchers didn’t find a similar effect among U.S. smokers. Murray Kessler ,former CEO of UST, Inc. (now Vice Chair, Altria Group, Inc.) Nine Out of Ten U.S. Smokers Who Try Smokeless Still Reject the Product..

efforts to communicate with adult consumers about the unique opportunity that very low-TSNA dissolvable smokeless tobacco offers to dependent smokers."

Note Star Scientific their products as very low-TSNA dissolvable smokeless tobacco. Dr. Stephen S. Hecht, an internationally recognized expert on cancer-causing agents in tobacco, points out even with the pasteurization process used for the Swedish tobacco products does produce lower levels of nitrosamines than found in most American products, but the levels are not low. They are still 10-100 times higher than the levels of carcinogenic nitrosamines in any other consumer product. (Communication 1/25/2007)

Morgan Stanley estimates that U.S. consumers spent $4.47 billion on smokeless tobacco in 2007 versus $78 billion on cigarettes. These numbers are worthwhile, we've been using numbers from 2005 $82 billion for cigarettes and for the smokeless tobacco category about $3.7 billion.

Growth in smokeless category has not come from the snus products but mainly from a Conwood price/value brand called Grizzly.


All tobacco products are bad.. nicotine itself has a number of severe adverse reaction like altering brain development in adolescents . The latest discovered in
found in document documents nicotine lowers the threshold for the onset vfib..


after all it's a rat poison

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Indonesia - tobacco farmers reject Islamic council's edict..

January 28, 2009 - Indonesia's top Islamic body (Ulemas Council - MUI) decided on Sunday, Janaury 25, 2009 not to ban smoking for Muslims in a country which is the world fifth-largest tobacco market and Southeast Asia's biggest economy. The debate over smoking revealed a split between those wanting to make it "haram" (forbidden), or not allowed, and others who favoured "makruh" (objectionable), an Arabic term whereby it would only be advised that smoking is bad and it is better to drop it.

The council issued a fatwa placing more limited restrictions on tobacco use. "MUI has issued an edict which states that smoking is forbidden for children, pregnant women, MUI members and for those in public places," Amin Suma, chairman of the Edict Commission of MUI said on Sunday.

Chairman of the Tobacco Farmers Association in Jember, Abdurrahman expressed regret here on Monday the MUI edict banned children and expecting mothers from smoking, as well as people in public places.

"Indirectly, the edict will affect people who want to smoke," he said adding that it would also affect the income of tobacco growers. He said that the MUI edict would not apply to smokers in Jember because the region has many tobacco growers.

Indonesia is a very confused nation when it comes to the health of their citizens.

Reference: Tobacco farmers reject MUI's edit, Antara New, 1/27/2009; TOBACCONIST OPPOSED TO MOSLEM SCHOLARS’ BAN ON SMOKING by Andi Abdussalam , 1/30/2009.

Related news briefs: Indonesia - Ulema Council - debate results is split on smoking..; Indonesia - Withdraw Sponsorhip of Another Rock Concert..; Indonesia to increase tax on tobacco products..; Semarang, Indonesia - Cigarette Smoking Areas to be Prepared..; Jakarta, Indonesia - Malls help enforce non-smoking ban..; Indonesia - federal anti-smoking laws in one year - MAYBE..; Indonesia - NGO's (non-government organizations) Demand the Government Ratify WHO's FCTC.; Indonesia to raise cigarette tax by 6 to 7% in 2009..; Surabaya, Indonesia - anti-smoking bylaw 10/2009 - FOR REAL??; Indonesians smoking more than ever before..; Indonesia further rise in the excise tax would hurt the cigarette industry..; Alicia Keys - Jakarta Concert (July 31st) tobacco companies forced to withdraw sponsorship.. and Most Indonesians support moves to ban tobacco advertisements...

Click on image to enlarge.. - typical Indonesian smoker..
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Philip Morris USA - The Center for Research & Techology

January 27, 2009 - The Center for Research & Technology opened in 2007 at a cost of $350 million is home to approximately 500 scientists, engineers and support personnel.

A Richmond Times-Dispatch review of thousands of pages of patent records, government permits and scientific journals shows some of what Philip Morris' research focuses on:

• microscopic particles of metals -- smaller than four one-millionths of an inch -- that might neutralize toxins in burning tobacco leaf;

• gels and beads of silica to put in filters or tobacco to absorb toxins;

• tubes, tiny cones, meshes and other plastic shapes for filters to make it easier to ventilate and dilute smoke while still allowing a full dose of nicotine; and

• gelatin strips that can be put in the mouth to release nicotine. "I do expect cigarette firms to continue to pursue nicotine-delivery products that do not involve setting tobacco on fire, at least for some more time, because the demand potential is substantial for them," Rajeev K. Goel, an Illinois State University economist who focuses on tobacco-control issues, said when asked about the Times-Dispatch review of patents.

Philip Morris researchers have experimented with strips of tobacco encased in gelatin or gum that dissolve in a user's mouth. Some involve tobacco particles only three one-thousandths of an inch wide.

Still other researchers have applied for patents for pouches of fabric or paper that hold tobacco in the mouth.

"These products are also directly responding to the increasing adoption worldwide of bans on smoking in public places, and of course the need to attract new customers," Lee said.

Philip Morris also is working on inhalers, but it says the devices aren't intended to replace cigarettes.

"You have to be careful reading too much into patents," Jack Nelson, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Altria Group, Philip Morris' corporate parent. said.

The Philip Morris inhaler work has focused on devices that release sprays of droplets or particles far smaller than what's now on the market -- as small as one ten-thousandth of an inch, or one-tenth to one-twentieth the size of the smallest now available. The inhalers are powered by tiny pumps to deliver their mists deeper into the lungs, and patents cover precise dosage meters and sensors to coordinate delivery of the mist with a user's inhaled breath. One is for a disposable inhaler.

Philip Morris scientists, with their basic interest in smoke, have looked for many years at how heat moves tiny airborne particles. That led to devices that create fine mists with heat. The company thought it might license the technique and market it to pharmaceutical firms as an inhaler. It shut down the subsidiary marketing the idea three years ago, but it still is filing applications to patent inhalers -- six in the past two years.

"This isn't a substitute for a cigarette," Nelson said. He said that while inhalers could deliver nicotine, smokers want things other than nicotine -- a view some public-health officials agree with -- that they get from tobacco smoke or tobacco placed in their mouths.

"Our products are tobacco products," he said. There already are plenty of products that deliver nicotine by itself, such as smoking-cessation aids, and "that's a bit of a crowded space now," he said.

Reference: SPECIAL REPORT: Searching for tobacco’s future by David Ress, Richmond Times-Dispatch, 12/14/2008.

Related news brief: PM USA Invests in R & D..
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United States - using smokeless tobacco does not help smokers quit..

January 27, 2009 - Earlier research in Sweden has suggested otherwise. But, according to a study just released by the University of California, San Diego and Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet, there are important differences between the United States and Sweden about how people use—and quit—tobacco.

PAPER: Quitting Cigarettes Completely or Switching to Smokeless: Do U.S. Data Replicate the Swedish Results?, Shu-Hong Zhu1, Julie B Wang, Anne Hartman, Yuerong Zhuang, Anthony Gamst, James T Gibson, Hans Gilljam, Maria Rosaria Galanti, Tobacco Control Online, 1/23/2009, ABSTRACT.

In Sweden, many smokers quit smoking by switching to smokeless tobacco. But researchers didn’t find a similar effect among U.S. smokers. This is important because there has been a vigorous debate in the international public health community about whether tobacco control programs should stop advocating complete tobacco cessation and start promoting smokeless tobacco as a less-harmful alternative to smoking.

Over a one-year period, the study tracked quit rates, and the rates of switching from one form of tobacco to another, of more than 15,000 adult participants. It showed that:

• Among U.S. men, less than 1 percent of current smokers switched to smokeless tobacco during the 12 month study.
• Only 1.7 percent of former smokers turned to smokeless tobacco.
• Men’s quit rate for smokeless tobacco was three times higher than for cigarettes.

The Swedish data showed just the opposite: Swede smokers are more likely to switch to smokeless tobacco. Smokeless tobacco users in Sweden are less likely to quit.

It looks like the Swedish experience with smokeless tobacco and quitting smoking is unique to Sweden.

Murray Kessler ,former CEO of UST, Inc. (now Vice Chair, Altria Group, Inc.) Nine Out of Ten U.S. Smokers Who Try Smokeless Still Reject the Product..

Reference: Does Smokeless Tobacco Help Smokers Quit Cigarettes?, UC Sam Diego Medical Center, 1/26/2009.

Related news brief: Further evidence SNUS is NOT a component of smoking cessation..

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Why does R.J. Reynolds Tobacco keep on selecting Portland, OR as a test site..

January 26, 2009 - On April 28, 2006 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco (RJR) started test marketing Camel SNUS in Portland Oregon and Austin Texas. In January 2009 RJR will launch its test marketing of three dissolvable tobacco products: Camel Orbs - like a candy pellet; Camel Sticks - like a toothpick and Camel Strips - an edible film strip like Listerine Pocketpaks® Breath Strips. The products will launch in the first quarter in Columbus, Ohio, Portland, Oregon, and Indianapolis.

Why does RJR continue to select Portland, Oregon for product testing? RJR spokesman David Howard said the city is "maybe a little below average" in chewing tobacco use. And while Portland and Austin have reputations as hipster havens, Howard said Reynolds isn't targeting twentysomethings. The company picked Portland and Austin to get feedback from "all adult tobacco consumers."

Health workers have a theory about Portland's selection: Big Tobacco wants a new generation of customers. "I see it as a young adult marketing strategy, and we have a lot of hip young adults in this city," Cathryn Cushing, a specialist with the Oregon's Tobacco Prevention and Education Program. said. And "if it appeals to a 22-year-old, I think you can assume it will appeal to a 16-year-old. Because what do 16-year-olds want to be? Twenty-two."

Here's the real reason that Portland was selected.. In the State of Oregon tobacco companies are allowed to dole out freebies of smokeless tobacco but are banned from handing out free cigarettes. With new products like Camel SNUS and soon Camel Dissolvable Tobacco products that boast kid-friendly flavors the state legislators now wants this practice stopped. State Rep. Carolyn Tomei: “Now Oregon has become the place where they have campaigns for smokeless tobacco. They’re handing out free Snus samples, and to whom did they hand it out? Not people my age; it’s the young ones.”

Oregon's interim state epidemiologist, Dr. Katrina Hedberg, says that even though the "sticks," "orbs" and "strips" are smoke-free, they're still a health hazard designed to "help people continue their addiction." She's particularly concerned that the candy-flavored products will be marketed to underage consumers as a gateway to cigarettes.

R.J. Reynolds denies this. As evidence, it trumpets the fact that Camel Dissolvables, as the product line is called, will be sold in child-proof packaging.

That's laughable. We know they're not targeting 2-year-olds.

Reference: Health officials say the pouches of chew, which are getting a trial-market run in Portland-OR, will lure the young, WhiteLies.TV, 1/7/2007; 'Camel Dissolvables" head for Portland by The Oregonian editorial board, OregonLive.com, 12/20/2008;

A few related news briefs: Oregon - STOP Tobacco Companies from passing out free smokeless tobacco..; STOP the Release of Dissolvable Tobacco Products..; Our children are in danger of becoming nicotine addicts...

Even with all the Camel SNUS freebies, e.g. like with the test marketing in Raleigh, NC, judging from interviews with a dozen sellers, snus has not set Portland's tobacco world afire. Most local bartenders and store owners said they sell one or two tins a month, mostly to men in their 20s and 30s. The minty frost flavor sells best. It's interesting to note that are RJR has dropped the Orginal and Spice flavors, kept Frost and added Mellow.
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