Nicotine replacement therapy … - Carlos A ... - Entretiens du Carla

The case of snus
Conclusion 13
A harmful and addictive substance
There is no doubt that snus (swedish oral
snuff) is a harmful and addictive substance.
All tobacco products are potentially
lethal and lead to tobacco related illnesses.
The priority should be to encourage all
tobacco users to quit and potential new
customers not to start.
After a thorough review of the published
scientific evidence the International Agency
for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monograph
Working Group concluded in 2004 that
smokeless tobacco is carcinogenic to
humans. All types of smokeless tobacco
contain different amounts of nicotine and
nitrosamines. Hundreds of millions of people
are addicted to smokeless tobacco, and its
use by young people is increasing in many
countries. The IARC Working Group found
that there is no supportive evidence that the
low prevalence of smoking in Sweden is due
to use of moist snus.
Smoking and consumption of snus
increase also the risk of diabetes and
mortality after an acute myocardial
infarction. In addition it increases the risk of
vascular spasm and angina pectoris and the
risk of complications after surgical
treatment.
13
Conclusion 14
Snus and smokeless products
aren’t NRT
If smokers need nicotine in cessation
there are products containing clean nicotine.
It is not the role of the public health
community to encourage the tobacco
companies to develop these products.
In general, when using nicotine
replacement products in smoking cessation,
their use is an aid to cope with the nicotine
withdraw symptoms only, followed by a
gradually decreasing. The goal is the total
abstinence of nicotine including NRT.
It is very unlikely that the use of snuff will
be gradually decreased if used in smoking
reduction or cessation. Moreover, discussions
about health benefits of snuff remind us very
much on the situation in the mid-1970s when
the health hazards of “light” cigarettes were
systematically downplayed.
Conclusions
Makla.