Snus
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Image:Snus.jpg
Portioned snus of the Swedish label General.
Snus (pronounced /ˈsnʉːs/) is a moist powder tobacco product that is consumed by placing it under the upper lip for extended periods of time. It is used in a manner similar to American dipping tobacco, but typically does not result in the need for spitting. Snus is also unique in that it is steam-cured rather than fire-cured, is not fermented and contains no added sugar. Snus is manufactured and consumed primarily in Sweden and Norway, and is being test-marketed in several other countries.
TypesThere are two main types of snus on the market:
Swedish snus is made from air dried tobacco from various parts of the world. In earlier times tobacco for making snus used to be laid out for drying in Scania and Mälardalen. Later Kentucky tobaccos were used. The ground tobacco is mixed with water, salt, sodium carbonate and aroma and is prepared through heating, generally via steam. Moist snus contain more than 50% water, and the average use of snus in Sweden is approximately 800 grams (16 units) per person each year. 12% (1.1 million people) of the population in Sweden uses snus[1]. Unlike American-sold oral tobacco, snus has not gone through a fermentation process. Snus is sold mainly in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, and is being trialed in South Africa and the United States. It can be found in various places frequented by Scandinavian tourists like Murmansk in Russia (with the notable exception of countries in the EU; see below). It is sold in small tins, which in the earlier years were made of porcelain, wood, silver or gold. At the time of writing, portioned snus usually comes in plastic tins of 24g, while loose snus is mostly sold in compressed paper tins with plastic lids, at 50g. Most loose snus tins have been reduced to 45g (with some exeptions) to keep the price the same, after higher taxes on snus were introduced in early 2008. Portioned snus is most commonly sold in three different variants, namely mini, normal and maxi/large. The weights may vary, but the most sold snus labels share their weight. Mini portions weigh 0.5g, with 20 pieces per tin. Standard portions weigh 1g, with 24 portions per tin, and maxi portions weigh 1.7g, with 17 pieces per tin. The price for the 50g product is approximately €3-€4 in Sweden and €7.50 in Norway as Norwegian taxes are higher. The total production of Swedish snus, mainly for the Scandinavian market, has been reported to be in excess of 300 million units per year.[citation needed] After the Norwegian government in June 2004 implemented a strict indoor smoking ban in public places, sales of snus sky-rocketed and several new variants of the product were put on the Norwegian market.[citation needed] When the Swedish government did the same thing in June 2005, sales of snus also increased dramatically. This product is classified as a legal drug in Sweden.[citation needed] Recently, the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company started selling Camel SNUS in The United States in certain test markets including: Raleigh, N.C. - Columbus, Ohio - Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas - Indianapolis - Kansas City, Mo. - Orlando, Fl. - Austin, Texas - Portland, Or. There are currently three flavors offered by Camel: Original, Spice, and Frost. The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company is planning on expanding to more test markets soon. Usage and storageThe most usual way to consume snus is to place it beneath the upper lip, and keep it there for a time varying from a few minutes to several hours, which varies greatly from person to person. Snus should be stored refrigerated to minimize the formation of nitrosamines. Many users report that cold snus is subjectively better than warm snus. Health consequencesDebate among public health researchersThere is some debate among public health researchers over the use of "safer" tobacco or nicotine delivery systems, generally dividing along two lines of thought. Most researchers presently are of the "abstinence" belief, believing that no form of tobacco or nicotine use is acceptable or safe, and should be minimized among the population. A minority (primarily in the European Union and Canada) believes in "harm reduction," where the belief is generally that, while it should remain a goal to reduce addiction to nicotine in the population as a whole, the reduction of harm to the health of those who choose to use nicotine should override the need to reduce overall nicotine addiction. For example, some research[2] available today shows that snus use reduces or eliminates the risk of cancers that afflict other users of tobacco products such as "chewing tobacco" (the type primarily used in the United States and Canada, created in a process similar to cigarette tobacco) and cigarettes. It is hypothesized that the widespread use of snus by Swedish men (estimated at 30% of Swedish male ex-smokers, possibly because it is much cheaper than cigarettes), displacing tobacco smoking and other varieties of snuff, is responsible for the incidence of tobacco-related mortality in men being significantly lower in Sweden than any other European country; in contrast, since women are much less likely to use snus, their rate of tobacco-related deaths in Sweden can be compared to that of other European countries. There is an increase in the prevalence of hypertension in snus users, so the health effects are not all positive, however.[citation needed] Snus may be less harmful than other tobacco products; according to Kenneth Warner, director of the University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network,
Opponents of snus sales maintain that, nevertheless, even the low nitrosamine levels in snus cannot be completely risk free, but snus proponents point out that inasmuch as snus is used as a substitute for smoking or a means to quit smoking, the net overall effect is positive, similar to the effect of nicotine patches, for instance. In addition, rather obviously, this eliminates any exposure to second-hand smoke, further reducing possible harm to other non-tobacco users. This is seen by public health advocates who believe in "harm reduction" as a reason for recommending snus in addition to other nicotine replacement therapies rather than continued use of cancer-causing nicotine delivery systems. This does not, however, eliminate any harm to health caused by the nicotine itself. Current research focuses on possible long-term effects on blood pressure, and possible risk of cancer of the pancreas due to tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). TSNAs are the only component of tobacco shown to induce pancreatic cancer in laboratory animals (Rivenson et al. 1988). Nicotine may also exacerbate pancreatic illness, because nicotine stimulates the gastrointestinal tract's production of cholecystokinin, which stimulates pancreatic growth and may be implicated in pancreatic cancer. Thus far the evidence specifically implicating snus in pancreatic cancer is only suggestive. [4]. It should also be noted that the probability of developing pancreatic cancer from cigarettes is higher than the suggested chance of developing pancreatic cancer from snus.[citation needed] Published peer-reviewed studies
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