Snus, the Swedish Snuff, Invades US

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Cigarette smoking is being banned around the world. But just when anti-tobacco activists thought they had finally gotten rid of tobacco, new foes begin to emerge, waterpipes and now snus.

What is snus, you say. It's Swedish for snuff. Snuff is a finely ground tobacco. It is being marketed by US tobacco companies (under familiar names like Camel and Marlboro) as a cigarette replacement. And it's beginning to find an audience.

• Flavorful snus now comes in cute tin boxes with names like "frost" and "spice." And it is being pushed by the tobacco giants. Will it catch on it the US? Stay tuned. . .

• Snus pouches remind me of a small tea bag, except it is filled with tobacco instead of tea. It placed under the lip and "sucked." But unlike other forms of snuff, it is a not messy and does not require a spittoon or spitting. You don't chew it like chewing tobacco either.

• Heavy snus use may stain teeth.

• Because it is a smokeless tobacco, snus can be used in the public places and areas where smoking has been outlawed. These areas include restaurants, clubs, workplaces and airplanes.

• Health risks. Snus carries the same health risks as other snuffs: mouth and throat problems that may lead to cancer and it increases the chance of heart disease and stroke. But it does not cause lung cancer that's linked to smoking tobacco. And it is still addictive!
  * Snus use may cause pancreatic cancer.
  * Heart disease risk from snus is at least 50 percent less likely than cigarettes the EU committee report found.

• Philip Morris International is forming a joint venture with Swedish Match, a maker snuff, matches and lighters, to promote smoke-free tobacco around the world.

• In 1992 snus was banned by the European Union (EU) because of the fear that it would be marketed to children. The ban exempts Sweden and Norway.

• The Scandinavian market for snus in 2008 was about 240 million cans of snus, selling for more than 8 billion kronor ($870 million) according to Swedish Match.

• In Sweden, one fifth the 1.2 million snus users are female, according to Swedish Match.
  * Around 25% of Swedish men use snus daily.
  * Daily snus use among women rose to 4 percent of the total in 2007 from 0.6 percent in 1988 and 1989, according to national statistics.
  * Swedish Match targets women by selling smaller snus pouches and packages with feminine colors rather than traditional black, brown and silver containers favored by men.
  * 18 is the legal age to buy snus.
  * Supermarkets, convenience stores and bars all sell snus.

• A new study's results fly in the face of conventional wisdom. It says cancer risk is not increased by using smokeless tobacco products. This according to the analysis of 89 studies from the US and Scandinavia by Peter Lee and Jan Hamling of PN Lee Statistics and Computing Ltd, (journal BMC Medicine).

• In Sweden, Onico is a nicotine-free snus that uses flavored vegetable fibers to mimic the tobacco's taste.

• Researchers revealed that there are 21 new carcinogens and toxins (known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAH]) in smokeless tobacco at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.
  * Moist snuff doubled since the 1980s.

• Snus and other smokeless tobacco products slightly raise the risk of having a fatal heart attack or stroke, according to research by Dr Paolo Boffetta and team at the International Agency for Research on Cancer in France. (British Medical Journal).

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