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Young People Ask . . .

Smokeless Tobacco—Is It Harmless?

‘WHEN 13-year-old Cord moved to the midwestern United States, he quickly discovered that he was missing a standard piece of eighth-grade male equipment: a can of snuff, a type of smokeless tobacco. Most of his new friends were “dippers,” or snuff users, and Cord wanted to fit in. So when one of the guys offered him a small packet of snuff, he took it and tucked some of the snuff between his lower lip and gum with the nonchalance of an old-timer.’—Listen magazine.

Young Cord is hardly an exception. Dr. Christopher A. Squier, a professor of oral pathology, says that a growing number of male teenagers are taking their first pinch. Though smokeless tobacco sales were leveling off in the late 1980’s, “the use of moist snuff,” says Dr. Squier, “is increasing again.”a Researchers report, for example, that 1 out of every 5 male high school students in the United States and 1 out of every 3 young males in Sweden—millions of young people—are now using smokeless tobacco. Why is this happening?

“It’s safer than smoking.” “There’s no evidence that it’s dangerous.” “My friends use it. It’s not hurting them.” “A little bit now and then won’t hurt me.” “No one ever died from it.” According to the American Cancer Society, these are some of the reasons young people often give as to why they are turning to smokeless tobacco.

What has made young people think that dipping is safer than smoking? Is that really the case?

Getting the Message

For years the powerful tobacco industry peppered youths with ads that indicated smokeless tobacco was about as harmless as chewing gum and as indispensable as the right brand of sneakers. Slogans like “Take a pouch instead of a puff,” “I get real tobacco pleasure without even lighting up,” and “A pinch is all it takes” cleverly implied social status.

After such TV and radio slogans were banned in the United States, the tobacco industry continued pitching its message through magazine ads. Glossy pictures of rugged fellows having a great time hunting, rock-climbing, and white-water rafting—a tobacco can conspicuously tucked in their back pocket—conveyed a loud and clear message: “Smokeless tobacco is beautiful, natural, and a door to manhood!”

The 1994 report of the U.S. surgeon general, entitled Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People, says that lots of young people now believe that “smokeless tobacco products are safe and socially acceptable.” One study among high school students showed that “about 60 percent of the junior high users and 40 percent of the senior high users believed that there was no risk or only slight risk in regular smokeless tobacco use.” And even the high school users who recognized that smokeless tobacco may be harmful “do not perceive the risk to be great.” The ads are getting their message across. But are the ads true?

A Bible proverb says: “Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps.” Or as another proverb puts it, “everyone shrewd will act with knowledge.” (Proverbs 13:16; 14:15) What, then, do the facts show about smokeless tobacco?

The Bad News

While ads may indicate that using smokeless tobacco will improve your image and that it is safe for your body, the facts show the very opposite. For one thing, using smokeless tobacco will not make you look any better. If you don’t believe it, just stick your tongue in your cheek and take a look in the mirror. “Cool”? Not by a long shot. And that’s only what it does to you on the outside! What it does to you on the inside is far worse.

For example, those who regularly chew or dip can get cracked lips, stained teeth, bad breath, and sore gums—nothing to smile about. In addition, their ability to taste and smell decreases while their heartbeat and blood pressure increase—bad news indeed. The real bad news, though, is that studies conducted in Europe, India, and the United States show that smokeless tobacco causes cancer in the cheeks, gums, and throat. These findings do not surprise experts. One study notes: “Snuff has the highest level of cancer-causing agents of any product taken into the body.” No wonder that “long-term snuff users have a 50% greater risk of developing oral cancer than nonusers.”

When oral cancer sets in, the consequences are grave. Not only is the user’s health ruined but his life is often cut short. A publication from the American Cancer Society relates this sad story: ‘Sean began using smokeless tobacco at the age of 13. He figured that it was safer than smoking. After five years of dipping a can or more a day, he developed a sore on his tongue. It was mouth cancer. Doctors removed part of his tongue, but the cancer spread to his neck. More disfiguring surgery was performed but to no avail—at age 19 he died. Before his death Sean wrote a simple message on a pad of paper: “Don’t dip snuff.”’

Hooked!

After young Cord, mentioned earlier, read this shocking account about Sean, he finally got the message. He made up his mind to quit. Trying to quit, however, was tough. “I feel like I just have to have it,” Cord told Listen magazine. “Even now, several months after I officially quit, I find myself feeling in my pockets for my pouch. I chew a lot of gum. That helps, but it doesn’t take away the craving.”

Confirms Ca-A Cancer Journal for Clinicians: “In studies of teenagers who attempted to stop using smokeless tobacco, only a small percentage were able to do so.” What, though, makes it so hard to quit using smokeless tobacco? The same drug that makes it so difficult to quit smoking: nicotine.

Nicotine, a drug found in cigarettes as well as smokeless tobacco, is a potent poison that gives the user a high feeling. Every 30 minutes or so, the user needs to take another dip to keep that feeling from ending. Nicotine gets you hooked. Some users get so addicted that they keep a pinch of snuff in their mouth day and night—even while sleeping.

Contrary to what young people may think, dipping does not lessen nicotine intake. One can of smokeless tobacco a day delivers as much nicotine as 60 cigarettes! “Smokeless tobacco users,” notes Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People, ‘absorb at least as much nicotine as smokers do—perhaps as much as twice the amount.’ (Italics ours.) Besides nicotine, smokeless tobacco contains ten times more nitrosamines (powerful cancer-causing substances) than cigarettes.

Be Smart

“There is absolutely no question that these are harmful products,” said Dr. Roy Sessions, a head-and-neck surgeon. “They produce a state of dependency that most people feel is much harder to break than smoking.” Dental-cancer specialist Dr. Oscar Guerra concluded: “The body just doesn’t like the stuff.” Experts around the world agree: Dipping is more than a pinch of trouble. It can snuff you out!

Christian youths have an even more compelling reason than health concerns to stay away from tobacco products—their desire to please Jehovah God. His Word commands: “Let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God’s fear.”—2 Corinthians 7:1.

The magazine Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine sums matters up nicely, saying: “Tobacco is a nauseating plant that is consumed by only two creatures—a small green worm and man. The small green worm does not know any better.”

But you do. So be smart—don’t start.

[Footnote]

[Blurb on page 27]

‘Before his death Sean wrote a simple message: “Don’t dip snuff”’

[Pictures on page 26]

Chewing tobacco has begun to rise in popularity among youths. Should you try it?