Smoking can be considered one of the oldest vices that remains ingrained in the culture of many societies today, no matter as to how it is done or the tobacco used by users. Smokers would often say that they continue smoking because it enables them to unwind from stress, to gratify one’s need after a long day and a practice that enables them to relate to their peers. Studies and concerns have been raised to contradict this act as it is discovered that smoking tobacco can cause debilitating diseases both for the smoker and those near the smoker. However, the smoking population continues to increase and is becoming prominent within the younger generation. While debates regarding stronger smoking regulations are increasing, new forms of smoking tobacco became popular within the smoking public that would allow them to smoke without tobacco, especially in the United States. Although studies show that smokeless tobacco only triggers health risks similar to smoking tobacco and cause users to switch to smokeless tobacco, they are still better alternatives to smoking traditional tobacco since it would no longer cause severe health risks for both user and public and is a great cessation tool for heavy smokers or for smokers who wish to quit smoking.
Out of the major causes of deaths and disease in the United States, tobacco smoking is responsible for almost 440,000 deaths per year, both due to smoking or secondhand smoke exposure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013), the number of deaths due to tobacco use continues to increase due to the amount of advertising and promotions to entice the public to try smoking. Since 2011, almost 19.0% of the adult population of the country are smoking. Most of these smokers are non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaskan Natives while the rest are from other non-Hispanic races. Most of these smokers are recorded to smoke at least 100 cigarettes during their entire lifetime or regularly smoke every day. While the adult population of smokers remains at 19%, the CDC also records an increasing rate of smokers younger than 18 years old every day. In the estimate of the CDC, almost 4,000 teenagers or even children smoke their first cigarette and would become regular smokers. With the growing concern of the impacts of smoking to smokers and their peers, almost 69% are reported to try quitting smoking .
However, while there are growing concerns over the increasing rates of smokers around the country and the deaths and disease recorded due to smoking, there are new means of smoking tobacco introduced today or smokeless tobacco. According to Meister (2006) smokeless tobacco are tobacco products that do not need to be burnt like regular tobacco. These products could be placed in the cheek or in between one’s lip or gum to intake nicotine to the system. Smokeless tobacco products have varied throughout the globe; however, four are popular within the US and the western nations: dry snuff (powdered tobacco), loose leaf chewing tobacco, moist snuff/snus (offered in pouches) and other versions (pellets or flavored pouches) . Severson (1993) stated that smokeless tobacco had long been available in the US since the early times as it was a popular commodity within American Indians, transferring this to the English colonies upon the time of the early settlements. In those early periods, it was common to see people inhaling, chewing and dipping tobacco. However, dipping and chewing tobacco slowly lost popularity by 1882 due to the discovery of the bacillus tuberculosis organism and the creation of cigarette-making machines. By the 1970s, smokeless tobacco yet again returned to the market due to the creation of moist snuff or snus because it reduces the need for cigarettes or other traditional tobaccos. Most users of smokeless tobacco, according to early surveys, are young white males living in the rural areas .
Although there is a promise to smokeless tobacco use in reducing the need for smoking tobacco, it is argued that smokeless tobacco is not an effective cessation tool to stop smoking completely. In the assessment of Nelson et al. (2006), their study showcased that smokeless tobacco use has declined sharply from 1987 to 2003. Women and adolescent girls using smokeless tobacco remained low throughout the period being studied, however, adult men aged 25 to 44 records a high prevalence rate despite the declining rate of users for each age group. The decline of users can be related to the reduced smokeless tobacco productions and sales in the period from 1986 to 2003, from 125.5 million pounds to 114.3 million pounds. There was also a decline in the production of smokeless tobacco products. The national media campaign against tobacco use had also caused the reduction of smokeless tobacco users, especially in 1994 and 1999. It is discovered in this period that major manufacturers of smokeless tobacco products have manipulated their nicotine dosing content to gain users. Studies showcase that once the users develop s higher tolerance to the nicotine content of these smokeless tobacco products, they are going to increase their dosage .
Aside from the dwindling user population of smokeless tobacco, it is also discovered that similar to smoking tobacco, smokeless tobacco also has negative impacts. According to Savitz, Meyer and Lewin (2007), smokeless tobacco’s health risk would be determined by the tobacco used for the product and the frequency of use. It is reported that smokeless tobacco causes high cases of oral cancer in humans due to the usual intake of these products, especially through snuff dippers or pouches. While the nicotine content is restricted into a specific amount, continuous use of smokeless tobacco products can increase the risk of oral cancer. Cardiovascular diseases are also a danger to smokeless tobacco users as its capacity to increase nicotine throughout the body increases per use. Users can also develop oral health problems like leukoplakia, gingivitis, periodontitis and dental concerns such as staining or tooth lost. Using smokeless tobacco is also discovered to influence reproductive health, especially for pregnant women, reporting cases of reduced birthweights, and fetal mortality .
Despite the arguments that state that smokeless tobacco is similar to smoking tobacco due to its capacity to trigger the same risks as smoking tobacco, it is still a better alternative to smoking tobacco given its capacity to reduce severe health risks and enable smokers to quit smoking. In terms of its health risk, Meister argues that, in comparison to cigarette smoking, smokeless tobacco does not trigger the onset of chronic lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema due to the fact it does not have the same nicotine content that triggers these diseases. Smokeless tobacco also prevents the possibility of health diseases in comparison to cigarette smoking. Unlike cigarette smoking that causes cancer to every part of the body that comes in contact to cigarette smoke – maybe directed to the smoker or to second-hand smoke – smokeless tobacco only is associated to oral cancer due to the way it is taken (through gum form or snuff pouches). Smokeless tobacco use does not expose others to the dangers of tobacco smoke since it is taken orally without the need to burn the product. Finally, the death toll due to smokeless tobacco use is also very low and in the analysis provided, from 400,000 deaths due to cigarette smoking, smokeless tobacco only causes 8,000 deaths .
Aside from the very low health risks it poses to its users, smokeless tobacco also presents a very effective alternative to stop smokers from smoking. Meister and the study of the University of California-San Diego (2009) indicate that smokeless tobacco had enticed users throughout the country to quit smoking once they have switched from smoking tobacco to smokeless tobacco. In a study, in 1990, participants who have used smokeless tobacco have successfully stopped smoking after a year and remained smoke-free for the next few years . In the 2009 study, US men have mostly reported a high case of use of smokeless tobacco and cessation from smoking. Former smokers also turned to smokeless tobacco and remained smokeless since they quit traditional tobacco use . Look at these rates, it is visible that smokeless tobacco is beneficial to potential users in preventing the onset of risks found in smoking tobacco.
Smoking is a very dangerous vice that can kill not just its users, but also the people who are exposed to its smoke. While the calls for its regulation is being done to prevent further health risks and deaths caused by smoking, it is undeniable that stopping its use are very difficult even if alternative means is available to the public. In this end, it is important to study the impacts of using alternative smoking methods such as smokeless tobacco as it is still seen to cause health concerns to the people, especially because some manufacturers manipulate its nicotine concentration. Nonetheless, looking at further studies regarding smokeless tobacco, it is visible that it is a very capable cessation tool to stop smoking and prevent health risks caused by regular smoking. If smokeless tobacco is perfected and studied closely by experts, it is possible to create a tool to stop continuous tobacco use.
Works Cited
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Smoking & Tobacco Use : Fast Facts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 June 2013. Web. 23 January 2014. <http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/>.
Meister, Kathleen. Helping Smokers Quit: A Role for Smokeless Tobacco? New York: American Council on Science and Health, 2006. Print.
Nelson, David, et al. "Trends in Smokeless Tobacco Use Among Adults and Adolescents in the United States." American Journal of Public Health 96.5 (2006): 897-905. Print.
Savitz, David, et al. "Public Health Implications of Smokeless Tobacco Use as a Harm Reduction Strategy." American Journal of Public Health 96.11 (2006): 1934-1939. Print.
Severson, Herbert. "Smokeless Tobacco: Risks, Epidemiology, and Cessation." Orleans, C. Tracy and John Slade. Nicotine Addiction: Principles and Management. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993. 262-278. Print.
