Advocates warn about smokeless tobacco

Incidents of teens being caught with tobacco in schools might be down from last year, but anti-drug representatives say that chewing and other smoking alternatives might be helping them elude detection.

Jennifer Ball, substance abuse prevention educator for the school district, said no longer do children or teens have only cigarettes and spitting tobacco to choose from. Now they the products look like strips of gum, mints, tea bags and other common items that can be slipped in the upper or lower lip and go undetected.

Many smell minty or fruity and even the packaging resembles candy, Ball said.

"Especially in the school system, if you're not aware of tobacco companies' new marketing tools, teachers could easily mistake these items for packs of gum or candy," Ball said. "They even come in little tin cans that look like Altoid cans. All the chewing tobacco is no longer in these little round circle containers that are so obvious. They can be camouflaged so well."

It's a concern, Ball said, because children and teens are increasingly using the products and are under the impression that they're safer than cigarettes.

According to a press release from the Hernando County Health Department, 10.9 percent of Hernando County high school students were current smokeless tobacco users in 2010 — a 2.6 percent increase since 2006.

In comparison, statewide, the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use was 6.4 percent among high school students in 2011.

Health officials also worry because dip and other chewing tobacco users absorb three to four times the amount of nicotine compared to cigarettes.

Using chewing tobacco also puts users at risk of oral cancers as well as cancer of the esophagus, larynx, stomach, pancreas and pharynx.

"Part of the problem is we've hammered into kids the dangers of smoking and all they've heard is lung cancer, lung cancer, lung cancer," Ball said. "We've always been geared toward smoking and very little has been discussed about oral cancer or stomach cancer."

According to the health department, new products that teens have access to include:

• Snus (pronounced "snoose"), a newer form of smokeless tobacco, which is a small, teabag-like pouch containing tobacco that users place between their upper gum and lip. Snus does not require spitting; therefore, it can be easily concealed.
  • orbs (dissolvable tobacco pellets), sticks and strips that closely resemble gum, candy and breath strips.

  Other forms include:

  • Spit or chewing tobacco.
  • Looseleaf: Loosely packed to form small strips.
  • Plugs: which consist of small, oblong blocks of semi-soft chewing tobacco.
  • Nasal snuff: A powder that is sniffed into the nostrils.

  Meanwhile, Ann-Gayl Ellis, public information officer for the health department, announced that Feb. 19-25 is Through With Chew Week — a campaign designed to prevent and reduce the use of smokeless tobacco.

  Those interested in participating or quitting their tobacco habit can call the Florida Quitline at 1-877-U-CAN-NOW or go to .