Tobacco ad campaign draws criticism

A recent ad campaign suggesting people who resolve to give up smoking in the new year try a smokeless product instead has drawn criticism from anti-tobacco advocates.

"This has been going on for a long time, but we're seeing more of it now because of the smoke-free laws," said Stephanie Davis, director of the Washington County Tobacco Prevention Project.

The campaign in question is the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.'s first effort aimed at getting smokers to switch to Camel Snus, introduced in early 2009. Users stick the small, tobacco-filled pouches between their cheek and gum. Some versions of the product have about 8 milligrams of nicotine per pouch, the same approximate amount as in an average cigarette, according to data from www.smoking-cessation.org and TobaccoProducts.org.

The ads appeared recently in wide-circulation magazines like Time, Sports Illustrated and People, as well as in some alternative weekly newspapers around the country. They suggest, but don't say directly, that the pouches are a way to help kick the smoking habit.

"If you've decided to quit tobacco use, we support you. But if you're looking for smoke-free, spit-free, drama-free tobacco pleasure, Camel Snus is your answer. Logon to the Pleasure Switch Challenge and see how simple switching can be. Camel Snus - it might just change the way you enjoy tobacco," one ad says.

"At this time, there will some that will be considering the option to maybe quit smoking, but not necessarily quit enjoying tobacco pleasure," R.J. Reynolds spokesman David Howard said. "We want to inform them that here is a product that is an option for you to consider."

Under federal law, companies cannot claim that tobacco products work as smoking cessation products. All the ads also warn: "Smokeless tobacco is addictive."

The Food And Drug Administration, which regulates tobacco advertising, is reviewing the Reynolds ad campaign.

Anti-tobacco campaigners say the Reynolds ads aim to reorient smokers to smokeless snus to keep them from being lost as potential customers.

"R.J. Reynolds and all the tobacco companies poured tons of money into (Ohio), especially for smokeless tobacco," Davis said, noting the state's 2006 voter-approved ban on smoking in public places.

Davis said smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to smoking, but she understands why people may think of it that way. For one thing, it's not being inhaled, so smoke isn't getting in a person's lungs.

But Davis said smoking and chewing are more similar than most people realize.

"When you smoke, the majority of the nicotine is absorbed through your mouth," she said.

Switching from smoking to chewing can also be problematic, Davis said, because smokeless tobacco products can actually have more nicotine than cigarettes. While Camel Snus appears to be comparable in that regard, a can of traditional smokeless tobacco can have three times as much nicotine in it as a pack of cigarettes, Davis said. Smokers who switch to smokeless can actually feel sick because of the higher nicotine level, she said.

Besides nicotine and, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 cancer-causing agents, smokeless tobacco can have other ingredients that negatively impact a person's health.

"We see a lot of people that have diabetes or high blood pressure that use smokeless tobacco, and the number one (non-carcinogenic) ingredient is molasses and the number two is sodium," Davis said.

At camelsnus.com, the company touts snus' lower sodium content, which makes the product "spit-free," cutting down on an unpopular aspect of smokeless products.

Some experts do see advantages to smokeless tobacco over cigarettes. A 2007 report from the United Kingdom's Royal College of Physicians argues some smokeless tobacco products are less harmful than cigarettes, at least from the perspective of secondhand smoke.

"Since tobacco smoking is driven primarily by addiction to nicotine, but the harm from smoking is caused by other smoke constituents, the rational next-best option is to reduce the harm arising from nicotine use by providing it in a form that does not involve inhaling smoke," the report said.

Davis doesn't recommend using smokeless tobacco as a means to quit smoking.

"I don't want to discourage anyone that wants to quit. I would want to encourage them (to try) a better method," she said.

The local tobacco prevention program's classes on quitting are offered to smokers and chewers alike.

More information about the program is available by calling 374-2229.

About 46 million American adults, or one in five, still smoke and about the same number are former smokers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's down from one out of four Americans who smoked in 1995.

About 3 percent of American adults use smokeless tobacco, although Davis said usage rates tend to be higher in this region.