You know the negative effects of smoking on your skin. Here is an exploration of a new tobacco product that doesn’t produce smoke. Only time will tell of the health effects, but if history is any indication – how likely are these products to be good for your skin or overall well-being?
Melting your Mouth: The Problem with Dissolvable Tobacco
You may be noticing a new trend among people who smoke – they are a lot less visible. With the popularity and perception of smoking waning in general society, smokers have become outcasts in their own way. They are no longer allowed to smoke indoors in their favourite restaurants and in some cases, even some bars have banned smoking. The result has been a mass exodus of smokers to the alleys and doorways of our cities. A fear of second-hand smoke has further prevented smokers from openly enjoying their habit in public. The result is not surprising – the number of smokers is on the decline. In the face of effective anti-smoking efforts and nicotine free campaigns, tobacco companies have found a way to fight back, or at least gain some of the ground they have lost in the form of new products like dissolvable tobacco.
Dissolvable tobacco is designed as a smoke-free substitute for people who need their nicotine fix. They look like candy or breate mints and are flavoured in similar ways. These products come in packaging that is inconspicuous and unless a person specifically pointed out they were using dissolvable tobacco, they would look like they were eating candy. They are different from stop-smoking aids because they are not actually meant to help with the cessation of smoking. In fact, tobacco companies tout this new product as a convenient way for current smokers to get around all the current bans and limits of cigarette smoking. But are they as harmless as that?
Critics of dissolvable tobacco do not regard the product so innocently. For them, dissolvable tobacco is an insidious, and possibly ingenious, way of getting children and teens addicted to smoking in one form or another. Their resemblance to candy makes them inherently attractive to children. Their portability and deceptive nature make them easily usable by teenagers who can use them free from detection in a variety of settings including school and in the home. Although they do not involve smoke, they certainly involve addictive chemicals that can surely hook people who have never even smoked in their lives. It can potentially serve as a gateway that leads to smoking for a whole generation of users who might start using it without any initial intention to smoke.
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There could be a whole slew of unintended consequences if use of dissolvable tobacco becomes widespread. For one, it will give tobacco companies another plain on which to wage their marketing war. Another source of income will diminish the impacts of further anti-smoking efforts, especially if another avenue of addiction is created. Additionally, it should be remembered that the health consequences of cigarette smoking came to light after years of legal battles and outright denials. We do not yet know the full effects of dissolvable tobacco and what happens to the body when these products are absorbed in the mouth over many years. It could very well be that new health concerns can arise in addition to the already immediate threat of possible poisoning for kids who accidently ingest too many pieces.
Makers of Dissolvable tobacco would never say they are marketing to children and teens. They wouldn’t even agree that the packaging of their products and its appearance could be mistaken for something intended for children. They would simply say the product is for adults and the responsibility for keeping children safe falls upon the parents. Ironically, they are right. If a parent smokes then it is up to adults to decide if dissolvable tobacco is something they would be comfortable introducing into their homes. They should also become familiar with these products before their kids do, so that they can be aware of what may or may not be happening with their children. For potential users who do not have kids to consider, then the addictive nature of dissolvable tobacco must not be forgotten. Whatever the case may be, this product is already on the market. So education and awareness is essential since the primary way dissolvable tobacco can become an unmanageable problem in the future is if people don’t acknowledge it as a product that deserves debate.
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