BMJ  2008;336:359 (16 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.39479.491319.AD

Head to Head

Should doctors advocate snus and other nicotine replacements? No

¹ Bristol

doi: 10.1136/bmj.39479.427477.AD

Use of snus is less harmful than smoking and John Britton thinks that doctors should suggest it to people who are unable to give up cigarettes. But Alexander Macara argues that it could result in increased use of tobacco

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The use of smokeless tobacco products—–notably snus—has suddenly become controversial. Reasons for this include publicity by the tobacco industry,¹ the introduction in England of a ban on smoking in public places,² recent interest by major multinational companies in acquiring manufacturers of smokeless tobacco products,³ and the publication of comprehensive reports by a scientific committee of the European Commission⁴ and the Royal College of Physicians of London.⁵

Last October the British American Tobacco Company pressed the European Union to reconsider its 1992 ban on snus,¹ from which Sweden secured an exemption when it joined the union. Three weeks later the European Parliament called on the commission "to investigate the health risks associated with the consumption of snus and its impact on the consumption of cigarettes."⁶

Snus is the Swedish word for snuff, which was fashionable to inhale before cigarettes superseded it. BAT describes snus as "A finely ground moist tobacco, either . . . [Full text of this article]

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Relevant Article

Should doctors advocate snus and other nicotine replacements? Yes

John Britton
BMJ 2008 336: 358. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Overland, S, Hetland, J, Aaro, L E (2008). Relative harm of snus and cigarettes: what do Norwegian adolescents say?. Tobacco Control 17: 422-425 [Abstract] [Full text]  

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