Smokeless Tobacco A Threat

The program coordinator for the Five Counties for Tobacco Free Living says big tobacco companies are resilient when it comes to the battles they lose. For instance you don’t see as many major league baseball players spitting out chewing tobacco during games as you used to. Sandy Bernier  of the Fond du Lac County Health Department says that was a victory for anti-tobacco groups because kids imitate their hero’s behavior. She says, “Everything that we do in terms of changing that social norm really lets kids know that tobacco use is not the norm and it’s serious and it’s addictive and it can cause a lot of health-related harms.” Bernier says tobacco companies still put out chewing tobacco, but they also make a version that looks a little different. She says, “So what they have now is a little more sophisticated they actually look like tea bags and they’re kind of spit-less, but some of that smoke-less tobacco has more nicotine in it than a cigarette does.” She says just like regular cigarettes smoke-less tobacco is tough to quit.