Source: www.wgnsradio.com
Author: Scott Walker

Dissolvable tobacco. What took the cigarette companies so long to come up with that?

Made by R.J. Reynolds, the Camel Orb will debut in a few select markets next month before wider distribution. Rob Dunham with R.J. Reynolds says that the aspirin-sized tobacco product meets the needs of smokers because there’s no smoke, spit or litter to contend with.

Meanwhile, the Altria Group, the owner of tobacco giant Philip Morris USA, is as pleased as punch with Marlboro Snus, which are smokeless pouches that take the place of chewing tobacco.

While cigarette sales are dropping between two to three percent annually, Altria spokesman David Sutton says that smokeless products are booming sales-wise at a rate of six to eight percent each year. All of this news is disturbing to Greg Connolly of the Harvard School of Public Health.

Connolly claims smokeless products are designed to enhance the social acceptability of tobacco and it’s apparently working, judging by the healthy sales. And while the Camel Orb and Marlboro Snus present fewer health risks, Connolly says they’re insidious because they keep people hooked and are appealing to youngsters.