What Is Snuff Tobacco?
Snuff tobacco is one type of smokeless tobacco product that's more finely ground than chewing tobacco. Snuff may be chewed or sucked in your mouth or sniffed into your nostrils. You absorb nicotine through the skin in your mouth or nose.
Some people believe it's a safe alternative to smoking since it isn't linked to lung cancer. However, snuff isn't safe. Snuff has been linked to many other health problems. There are no safe tobacco products.
Snuff Tobacco Types
Snuff tobacco is very finely cut or powdered tobacco. There are two main types: moist snuff and dry snuff.
Moist snuff
Moist snuff is finely cut tobacco that is held in your mouth, usually between your cheek and gums or behind your upper or lower lip for about 30 minutes. You have to spit out or swallow the tobacco juice as it builds up in your mouth unless it's dissolvable or "spit-free."
It's also called snus (pronounced snoose) or dip. You can buy it loose, in dissolvable lozenges or strips, or in small pouches. In the U.S., most snuff tobacco is sold as moist snuff.
Dry snuff
Dry snuff is also very finely cut tobacco. But this type is usually inhaled into your nose rather than held in your mouth.
Creamy snuff
This is a commercially manufactured paste made of finely ground tobacco, clove oil, glycerin, and flavorings. It's used mainly in southeastern Asian countries, particularly India, to help keep teeth clean. Like toothpaste, it's sold in a tube. You rub in on your teeth and gums with your finger or a toothbrush, then spit it out after about 3-4 minutes.
What Is Snuff Made Of?
Depending on the product and the brand, smokeless tobacco usually contains things other than tobacco. Snuff usually also contains moisturizers, sodium carbonate, salt, sweeteners, and flavorings.
Snuff is addictive because it contains nicotine. Most smokeless tobacco products contain about 4,000 chemicals, and over 30 of these have been shown to cause cancer. While snuff does have a lower lung cancer risk than smoking, it's still not a risk-free product.
Some of the chemicals in smokeless tobacco products that are known to cause cancer include:
- Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines. Formed during the growing and processing of tobacco, they are known to increase the risk of some types of cancer.
- Cadmium and polonium. These are radioactive elements that are found in the fertilizer used to grow tobacco.
- Lead. This is a heavy metal that can cause cancer.
- Formaldehyde. This is a preservative known to cause cancer.
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These are probably made during the purification process. They can increase your risk for certain cancers and may cause asthma flares, reduced lung function, and cardiovascular disease.
Is Snuff Safer Than Smoking?
The answer to this question depends on what you mean by "safer." Using smokeless tobacco products may carry a lower risk of lung cancer compared to smoking. In 2023, the U.S. FDA released an authorization statement to allow Copenhagen moist snuff to market its product as a "modified risk product." This allows the company to advertise that their snuff has a lower risk for lung cancer — but only when compared to smoking. There's no tobacco product that's completely safe. If you don't currently use tobacco products, you shouldn't start.
Smokeless tobacco products still increase your risk for several health conditions, including addiction, oral cancer, pancreatic cancer, gum disease, and tooth loss.
Side Effects of Snuff Tobacco
Some smokeless tobacco products may contain lower levels of harmful chemicals than smoking, but they still have significant health risks, including:
Addiction
All tobacco products contain nicotine, which is addictive. According to the CDC, the amount of nicotine in moist snuff is about 4.4 to 25 milligrams per gram of tobacco. Dry snuff has about 10.5 to 24.8 milligrams of nicotine per gram of tobacco. The range is broad because the level of nicotine depends on many different factors, such as how the tobacco is grown and processed, the size of the cut of the leaves, and the pH of the product. For comparison, an average cigarette contains about 6 milligrams to 13 milligrams of nicotine.
Studies show that blood levels of nicotine are about the same in smokeless tobacco users and smokers. Also, when you use snus, dip, or any type of snuff you keep in your mouth, you absorb the nicotine straight into your bloodstream, which goes directly to your brain. And the nicotine tends to stay in the blood longer in smokeless tobacco users than in smokers. Withdrawal from smokeless tobacco is as difficult as smoking and may cause intense cravings, depressed mood, and irritability.
Certain cancers
Compared to smoking, your risk for lung cancer may not go up when you use smokeless tobacco products. However, you still have an increased risk for:
- Oral cancer. This cancer starts in your mouth or throat. Using snuff, dip, dissolvable, and chewing tobacco can increase your risk for cancer in your cheeks, gums, and inner surface of your lips. And your risk increases the longer you use them.
- Esophageal cancer. Your esophagus is the tube that connects your throat to your stomach. Use of any tobacco products, including chewing tobacco and snuff or dip, really increases your risk of getting esophageal cancer.
- Pancreatic cancer. Use of any smokeless tobacco product increases your risk for pancreatic cancer.
Oral conditions
- Gum disease
- Destruction of the bone sockets around your teeth
- Tooth loss
- Leukoplakia, which are abnormal patches of white or gray tissue that form on the inside of your mouth, especially on your gums, tongue, inside of your cheeks, and under your tongue. In some cases, this is an early sign of cancer.
Other health conditions
- Heart disease.Snuff can increase your heart rate and blood pressure. People who use snuff long-term are twice as likely to die from heart disease as people who don't use any form of tobacco.
- Risk of poisoning.Some smokeless tobacco products have a candy-like look and flavor, making them especially dangerous for children. Nicotine poisoning in children can cause nausea, vomiting, convulsions, weakness, trouble breathing, unresponsiveness, and death.
- Risk during pregnancy. People who use smokeless tobacco during pregnancy are more likely to have a baby who is born early or stillborn.
Quitting Snuff
While smokeless tobacco may be promoted as a way to quit smoking, there's no evidence to suggest this is true. Because smokeless tobacco has so many health risks, it's not a good method for quitting smoking. Quitting smokeless tobacco is much the same as quitting smoking. Both involve nicotine and the emotional, physical, and mental aspects of addiction.
If you have tried to quit and haven't been able to, you're not alone. Only 4%-7% of people can quit smoking on any attempt without medicine or other help. There's no one way to quit tobacco, but there are steps that can help.
Decide to quit. You are the only one who can decide to quit tobacco. You may want to quit for others, but you have to make the decision. Think about reasons you want to quit, which may include:
- Avoiding diseases related to smoking
- Believing that the benefits of quitting outweigh the benefits of continuing to use tobacco
- Saving money
- Being healthier
Set your quit date. Pick a day within the next month as the day you plan to quit. This is an important step. Picking a day too far away may give you time to change your mind. However, you do want to give yourself time to prepare. You might want to pick a date that has special meaning for you, such as a loved one's birthday. Let other people know the date you plan to quit.
Decide how you're going to quit. There are a lot of options available to help you. Talk to your doctor or dentist for advice. Nicotine replacement therapy, prescription drugs, and quit programs can be helpful. Getting support is a key part of quitting tobacco. Self-help materials or counselors may be useful. Tell your friends, family, and coworkers that you're quitting so they can offer support and encouragement.
Takeaways
Snuff is a type of smokeless tobacco product that is more finely ground than chewing tobacco. Most snuff sold in the U.S. is moist snuff, also called dip. You hold it in your mouth, usually between your cheek and gums or behind your upper or lower lip. Dry snuff is usually inhaled into your nose rather than held in your mouth. Snuff has a lower risk for lung cancer than smoking, but it's still not safe. It can increase your chance of getting oral, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers. It can also increase your chance of gum disease, tooth loss, and heart disease.
Snuff Tobacco FAQs
Is vaping safer than using snuff tobacco?
There is no safe tobacco product. All tobacco products have risks associated with them. Vapes have nicotine (which is addictive) as well as other harmful chemicals.
