R.J. Reynolds is getting ready for the national debut of Camel Snus, a new type of smokeless chewing tobacco. According to a report in The New York Times, R.J. Reynolds is hoping Camel Snus catches on with consumers as a more “socially acceptable” form of tobacco. But health officials are worried about the product’s potential to cause health problems.
According to the Associated Press, Snus was invented in Sweden where it has been popular for decades. However, the European Union banned Snus in 2004 over cancer worries. Unlike regular chewing tobacco, users can swallow the juice Snus produces, so there is no spitting. And unlike cigarettes, there is no second hand smoke. Apparently, those properties are what R.J. Reynolds thinks will make Camel Snus, which is currently being test marketed nationwide, more “socially acceptable.”
But according to The New York Times, the amount of nicotine contained in a pouch - a single dose - of Camel Snus is higher than is what is found in most other chewing tobaccos. A spokesperson for R.J. Reynolds told the Times that each pouch of Snus contains 8 milligrams of nicotine.
There is also concern that R.J. Reynolds is manipulating the nicotine in Snus. According to The New York Times, an earlier version of the product that was test marketed in the U.S. contained only 2 milligrams per pouch. The West Virginia University researcher who made that discovery told the Times that the nicotine increase likely didn’t happen by accident.
Although it is unclear how much nicotine in smokeless tobacco reaches brain, more nicotine could make Camel Snus a highly addictive product. That’s why so many health advocates are worried. While people who use smokeless tobacco don’t face a higher risk of diseases like lung cancer, there can be other consequencs.
According to an article published by ReportonBusiness.com, smokeless tobacco products contain 28 carcinogens and raise the risk of oral, pancreatic and esophageal cancers, mouth lesions and gum disease. If Snus takes off and proves to be more addictive than other forms of smokeless tobacco, the public health consequences could be enormous.
Cigarette usage is declining in many countries, including the U.S. According to ReportonBusiness.com, total U.S. sales of cigarettes fell by 40% from 1987 to 2005, while smokeless tobacco sales were essentially unchanged. Tobacco companies like R.J. Reynolds are anxious to regain some of their market share, and they clearly see smokeless tobacco as an avenue for doing so.
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March 21st, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Hi, I discovered SNUS yesterday and thought about it. I went back this morning and bought some. I never used snuff and I am a chain smoker. I have been looking for an avenue to quit smoking and I thought this would be a good way to quit. I havent had a ciggarette all day but let me tell you, I have been nauseous and I have had chest pain all day.
I used eight little bags of it. It they say that the nicotine patches at 21 miligrams each are so dangerous to smoke on due to the possibility of cardiac arrest, then why is this not dangerous? I have taken in sity-four miligrams today?! I wanted to do this because Chantix never did work. I thought this was the answer to my prayers to be able to quit but after today, I just don’t know. Maybe I should just dip less pouches tomarrow?
Christie
April 16th, 2009 at 4:27 pm
I smoked heavy for over twenty years. I finally quit but now I have a new addiction with smokeless tobacco. This isn’t what i wanted. Nicotine is nicotine and it’s highly addictive in any form. The new snus is pleasant to say the least. However, It too will become an addiction like all the other pouches. Why trade one addiction for another? I wish I had never started using the smokless products. Sure my lungs feel better but like mentioned there are other side effects. It’s a sad state and I DO NOT recommend it to any one to stop smoking cigarettes!
May 19th, 2009 at 9:43 am
I have been a full-time menthol smoker for 15 years; I attempted to quit smoking 6 weeks ago. I started using camel snus because my stop-smoking aids weren’t helping me through the rough patches associated with nicotine abstinence. I now smoke when I drink alcohol or coffee, which is estimated at about 15 cigarettes a week. Unfortunately, I acquired a taste for camel snus, so I am currently dual-addicted to snus and cigarettes. Essentially, I tried to put out the fire by smothering it with an alcohol soaked blanket and am worse off than when I began.
May 20th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I was really skeptical about snus, I’ve never been a fan of chewing tobacco. However I’ve been smoking about a pack of cigarettes a day. Recently I decided to get some snus, and in cohesion with the cigarettes, well lets just say now a can of snus and pack of cigarettes will last me 3-5 days, which wonderful financially, and I think my lungs are thanking me as well. It’s very nice to have an alternative. one of those pouches will keep me from smoking a cigarette for like 4-8 hours, I was very surprised and satisfied with this (and it’s not all gross like chewing tobacco).
May 20th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
I have asthmatic bronchitis. I am 26 years old and now very ill from my stint smoking 2-3 packs per day. My lungs hurt, my chest feels like it is being ripped out of my body… but I still have my addiction to cigarettes. I tried Chantix and only found that I became angry, secluded and unstable. Now that I am sick and cannot smoke cigarettes because of my lungs, I have tried Camel Snus. I do not use that many of the little pouches, because they last 30 minutes. It has helped me keep the smoke out of my lungs… so I don’t think it’s necessarily bad to use Snus. You must weigh out the pros and cons… for me, Snus keeps me from going insane (without the nicotine) while allowing my lungs a chance to recoup from 5 years of heavy smoking. I believe we all know that smoking is not good for you. For non-smokers it’s easy to say… just quit, don’t do it, stop smoking… it’s not that easy in “real life.” So, if your lungs need a break… try the Snus. I find that the frost flavor is rather refreshing, and your breath smells like mint afterwards. I hope to get off the snus too, but for now, I’m taking it one day at a time. That’s the only true way to end a habit.
May 24th, 2009 at 3:42 am
Snus has eliminated my need to smoke completely. Each portion does contain 8mg of nicotine but I seriously doubt that much is actually absorbed because of the low ph level in Camel Snus. Snus is a slow released nicotine so that first morning rush is a little delayed and can lead to cigarette cravings. I went from about a pack a day of cigs and am not about a 5 portion a day Snus user which cuts cost considerably. Studies have shown no link to cancer, even mouth and pancreas but has shown a slight increase in heard disease. This increase is only half of that of smokers. The anti smoking campain is great for controling second hand smoke but snus hurts noone but the user and much less than cigarettes. What ever happened to our free society? My snus doesn’t hurt you so leave me alone.
May 30th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Hi
WE GOT HOME SO SHE COULD LOOK IT UP THE WEB come to find out it has more nicotine than the skoal I use to chew. I really think that Camel should make sure that the stores that sell their product KNOWS THAT SNUS IS NOT NICOTINE FREE!!!! My advice to anyone that is trying to quit chewing go to a smoke shop or on the web and get some of the mint nicotine free chew.
June 3rd, 2009 at 1:24 pm
While I like snus I prefer my electronic cigarette from Vaporstix.com
It basically lets me smoke as I would with a cigarette, but it only produces vapor with nicotine in it.
Nicotine levels vary, and you can CHOOSE your strength. I haven’t had an urge to smoke a real cigarette since I started and I’m down to the low nicotine level now.
June 7th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I have been smoking 3 packs of cigarettes for 42 years. I finally decided to quit. I used “the patch” for three days, I was fine. I went out to buy more patches and realized I had a tin of “snus” which was given to me free when I bought an R.J. Reynolds made pack of cigarettes a month ago. When I received it, I never dreamed I would even try it. I just accepted it because the tin was so cool and I love tins. I’ve been using it for a month now and love it. My lungs are finally getting cleaned up. My wife is thrilled because she has allergies and my cigarette smoking was really bothering her. Maybe I will get mouth cancer-but you know what? I’m 57 years old and and this point I’m willing to gamble that it will take at least 20 years to develop-at which point I’ll be dead anyway. At least now I can hold emphysema at bay.