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Chewing tobacco use surges among boys

Source: Msnbc.msn.com Author: Staff WASHINGTON - Use of snuff and chewing tobacco by U.S. adolescent boys, particularly in rural areas, has surged this decade, a federal agency said in a report on Thursday that raised concern among tobacco control advocates. The use of such smokeless tobacco products increases the risk of oral cancer as well as heart disease and stroke. It leads to nicotine addiction just like cigarette smoking. The report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration showed a 30 percent increase in the rate of smokeless tobacco use among boys aged 12 to 17 from 2002 to 2007. Use by adults remained stable. In 2007, the report estimated that 566,000 boys in that age group had used chewing tobacco or snuff. "This trend toward more smokeless tobacco use by kids is of great concern," Danny McGoldrick, vice president for research at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids advocacy group, said in a telephone interview. "This is an industry that has a history of targeting kids because they know that's when everybody starts," he added. Among adolescent boys, the rate of use of smokeless tobacco rose from 3.4 percent in 2002 to 4.4 percent in 2007, according to the report. McGoldrick said the increase occurred as smokeless tobacco companies greatly increased their spending on marketing and introduced a new range of products. The findings reiterated the need for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to have the power to regulate tobacco products, as legislation being considered by [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-05-19T15:05:12-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

With anti-addiction pill, ‘no urge, no craving’

Source: CNN.com Author: Caleb Hellerman CENTRAL FALLS, Rhode Island (CNN) -- A no-frills bar called Goober's, just north of Providence, Rhode Island, is probably the last place you'd expect to find a debate over cutting-edge addiction therapy. But this is where Walter Kent, a retired mechanic, spends his Fridays. He helps in the kitchen and hangs out in the bar, catching up with old friends. Walter Kent talks to Dr. Sanjay Gupta about how the drug naltrexone has helped keep him sober. Most addiction specialists would call this playing with fire, or worse. That's because for more than 30 years, Kent was a hard-core alcoholic. His drinks of choice were Heineken beer and Jacob Ginger brandy, but anything with alcohol would do. "It's like a little kid wanting a piece of candy. You see it, you want the taste of it." He closes his eyes and sniffs the air, remembering the feeling. "You can be by yourself, and all of a sudden get even a hint of alcohol, just the smell of it, and say, 'Oh, I need a drink.' That sensation is not something you can get rid of." But today, Kent isn't tempted in the least. He says the credit goes to a prescription medication -- a pill called naltrexone. It's part of a new generation of anti-addiction drugs that may turn the world of rehab on its head. Dr. Mark Willenbring, who oversees scientific research at the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, says alcoholism has reached a [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-04-17T09:49:29-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco product has experts divided

Source: www.gazette.com Author: Brian Newsome Sweden brought us meatballs, the Nobel prize, Ikea, the Saab and the Volvo. But the country's latest mark on the U.S. is not so benign. An oral tobacco product known as snus recently arrived in Colorado Springs and other U.S. towns. The moist tobacco, which comes in a tea-bag-style pouch that goes under the upper lip, has public health experts divided. Some say snus (rhymes with loose) could save scores of lives if smokers switch to it, because the product contains far fewer carcinogens than do cigarettes, chew and snuff. Critics, though, say snus will only increase the number of people addicted to nicotine and poses a serious threat to anti-tobacco efforts. They say it could create a new crop of young nicotine addicts, while smokers could just as easily supplement their habit rather than substitute one for the other. Some Americans have been using snus by ordering it online or buying it in U.S. test markets, but R.J. Reynolds Tobacco didn't release Camel Snus nationally until a few weeks ago, the first and only major tobacco company to do so. Philip Morris is selling Marlboro Snus in test markets. In Sweden, nearly a fifth of men in 2007 said they used snus daily, compared with 12 percent who smoke, according to Swedish Match, the country's largest snus producer. The trend doesn't hold for Swedish women: just 4 percent use snus and 16 percent smoke. Sweden also has fewer cases of lung cancer than the [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-03-24T17:33:15-07:00March, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco: What Is It and Why Do People Continue to Use It?

Source: RedOrbit.com Author: Paul C. Lewis In this issue of Medsurg Nursing, we are fortunate to have an article written by a nursing expert in the areas of tobacco use, addiction, and abstinence. Dr. Lewis provides an overview of the prevalence of tobacco use and the risks of exposure to tobacco and second-hand smoke for both adults and adolescents. He explains the challenges surrounding smoking cessation and encourages abstinence, starting at the grade school level. He concludes by emphasizing that nurses can provide a vital role in addressing this continued public health crisis. Additionally, Web sites that contain valuable information regarding smoking are included. Cigarette smoking among adults has remained at about 20.8% since 2004 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2005b). Those most likely to smoke include men, adults less than age 40, and those living below the poverty line. American Indians/ Alaskan Natives smoke at a much higher rate (32.4%) than non- Hispanic Blacks (23.0%), non-Hispanic Whites (21.9%), or Hispanics (15.2%). Cigarette smoking among adolescents has stopped declining since 2005 at a level of 23% (CDC, 2005c, 2005d). Adolescent males and females are equally likely to smoke (22.9% vs. 23.0%), with White adolescents smoking more often (25.9%) than Hispanic (22.0%) or non- Hispanic Black (12.9%) adolescents. While most people recognize the harmful effects of tobacco use, and particularly smoking, few are able to quit easily. Relapse is common among people trying to quit, with up to a 80% relapse rate (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2008-07-28T14:09:43-07:00July, 2008|Oral Cancer News|