What You Should Know About Snuff

Snuff is a form of smokeless tobacco meant to be inhaled through the nose or chewed, or placed in the mouth to produce saliva. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that snuff carries a lower risk of lung cancer than inhaled tobacco products, smokeless tobacco still has many serious health effects, including an increased risk for mouth cancers, heart disease, stroke, dental problems, and pregnancy complications.

Snuff comes in a "dry" form (for snorting) and a "wet" or "moist" form (chewing or dipping tobacco). Additionally, there is a creamy snuff, which is less popular than the other forms. All deliver nicotine and other hazardous chemicals, so they are all dangerous to use.

Types of Snuff

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 5.2 million U.S. adults use smokeless tobacco products. "Snuff" often refers specifically to dry snuff, but it also comes in other forms.

Dry Snuff

Dry snuff is a powdered tobacco product that involves curing or fermenting selected tobacco leaves, which are then ground down into a fine powder.

Common flavors include coffee, chocolate, plum, camphor, cinnamon, rose, mint, honey, vanilla, cherry, orange, apricot. Even flavors like whiskey, bourbon, and cola can be found. Most snuff is aged for a period of time to allow the flavors to settle and develop before being sold.

Dry snuff is snorted or sniffed into the nasal cavity, where it sends a hit of nicotine into the bloodstream quickly. This action often produces a sneeze, especially in people who are new to the practice.

Wet Snuff

There are a few different kinds of wet or moist snuff. These are placed in the mouth to produce nicotine-laden saliva.

• Snus: This is a Swedish moist snuff product sold in little packets. The snuff is slipped between the upper lip and gums, where it sits, mixing with saliva and leaching nicotine-containing tobacco juice into the mouth. Most snus packets contain about 30% tobacco and 70% water and flavorings.
• Dipping tobacco (dip): This American snuff product is comprised of ground-up or loose bits of shredded tobacco that users take a pinch of to place between cheek and gum. As the juice builds up, it's either spit out or swallowed.
• Chewing Tobacco (chew): Chewing tobacco comes in several different forms: loose, leaf, pellets, and plugs. Some are flavored and/or sweetened, and all forms are chewed to release tobacco juices. When finished, both dip and chew are discarded, not swallowed.

Creamy Snuff

Sold in toothpaste tubes, creamy snuff is meant to be applied to the gums by rubbing it on with the finger or toothbrush. It is then left in place for a few minutes before spitting out the tobacco-laden saliva it produces.

Creamy snuff comprises tobacco paste, clove oil, glycerin, and mint flavorings. It's used mainly in India to clean teeth. Like any other snuff product, creamy snuff is addictive.

Health Risks of Snuff, Chew, and Dip

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smokeless tobacco products such as snuff pose several significant health risks:

• Addiction: All forms of snuff put users at risk for nicotine addiction.
• Cancer: Snuff is associated with cancers of the mouth, esophagus, and pancreas.
• Dental and oral health problems: Snuff and other types of smokeless tobacco increase the risk of various dental problems, including receding gums, swollen gums, gum disease, tooth staining, bad breath, and tooth decay. It also increases the risk of other mouth problems.
• Heart disease: Snuff is linked to increased blood pressure and heart rate and an elevated risk of dying from heart disease.
• Poisoning: Snuff can lead to accidental nicotine poisoning in children, which can cause problems breathing, nausea, vomiting, convulsions, loss of consciousness, and death.
• Pregnancy complications: The use of snuff during pregnancy is associated with an elevated risk of early delivery and stillbirth.

Chronic abuse of dry snuff leads to morphological and functional changes in the nasal mucosa. Users are also exposed to carcinogens in tobacco; snuff may increase the risk of head and neck cancer.

Is Snuff Safer Than Smoking?

While snuff doesn't contain tar or any toxic gases produced by burning cigarettes, all forms have nicotine. Snuff tobacco also contains tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), considered some of the most potent carcinogens in tobacco.

If you're addicted to nicotine (whether it's delivered by traditional cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or smokeless tobacco products), use the resources here to help you quit now. Addiction never just fades away on its own, so be proactive and kick it out of your life.

History of Snuff Use

Snuff has a long history of use. Mayan snuff containers dating to AD 300-900 have been found. Snuff has turned up in numerous cultures and time periods elsewhere in the world, from South America to Spain and other parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. John Rolfe introduced commercially manufactured snuff to North America in the early 1600s.

Following a period of time where snuff was frowned upon and banned by the Pope and a couple of French kings, it regained popularity with French, English, and even American aristocrats. The U.S Congress passed the first federal excise tax on tobacco products in 1794. A tax of 8 cents was applied to snuff and represented 60% of the cost of a container of it. Smoking and chewing tobacco were not included in this tax.

Today, snuff is still available in smoke shops throughout Europe. It is regulated in the same way as other tobacco products, including age restrictions. In the United States, dry snuff is not popular, so is not as easily obtained. It can be found in specialty smoke shops and online.

How to Stop Using Snuff

If you want to quit using snuff, some different strategies and resources can help. Options that you can try include:

• Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT): This involves the use of patches, gums, lozenges, and other products that deliver a controlled, low dose of nicotine. These products can be used to gradually taper your nicotine intake until you can quit with fewer cravings and withdrawal symptoms.
• Prescription medications: Medications such as Chantix (varenicline) and Zyban (bupropion) can help reduce symptoms of nicotine craving and withdrawal.
• Counseling: Therapy can also help quit snuff and help you develop coping strategies that will support long-term success.

Takeaways

While snuff might seem like a better choice than smoking, it isn't any safer than traditional cigarettes. You aren't inhaling the smoke, but all forms of snuff still contain nicotine and are addictive. They also carry a significant risk for cancer, heart disease, oral health problems, and pregnancy complications.

If you are ready to stop using snuff, talk to your doctor about your options. Nicotine replacement therapy can help you gradually taper your nicotine dose, which can lessen the severity of withdrawal symptoms. You might also find that medications like Chantix and Zyban can help you manage cravings and deal with withdrawal symptoms.

Therapy and social support can also be vital, so consider joining a support group, either in-person or online. It can give you the motivation, support, and encouragement you need to succeed.