nicotine

New products ingenious or insidious?

Source: www.mailtribune.com Author: John Darling The use of smokeless tobacco in Jackson County has steadily risen in recent years among teens and adults — and now, officials fear the introduction earlier this year of new, candy-flavored "dissolvable tobacco" lozenges will make matters worse. Called Orbs, the pellets, which look and taste like breath mints, contain as much nicotine as a cigarette and could cause cancer of the mouth and throat, said Jane Stevenson, tobacco program coordinator for the county. Among eighth-grade males in Jackson County, use of smokeless tobacco jumped from 2 percent in 2001 to 7 percent in 2006, reported Stevenson. Among 11th-grade males, it rose from 10 percent in 2001 to 16 percent in 2006. Among adults here, 3 percent use smokeless tobacco. These figures are 1 to 4 percent higher than the state rates. "The increase of smokeless tobacco use here among teens is significant and alarming — and dissolvable tobacco is just as addictive as smoking," said Stevenson. "They are packaged to look hip and trendy and they carry the Camel logo. Usually, people are very loyal to their tobacco brand." The introduction of dissolvable tobacco pellets is in response to new laws prohibiting smoking in bars, restaurants and the workplace, said Mike Welch, owner of Puff's Magazine & Fine Tobacco, an Ashland smoke shop. The target market for dissolvable pellets, Welch added, is people who buy low-end generic cigarettes. His store won't be selling them, he said, because too many of his customers are concerned [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-07-03T05:00:33-07:00July, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Smoking debate has become nicotine-delivery debate

Source: www.godanriver.com Authors: David Ress & John Reid Blackwell, Media General News Service Federal regulators are cracking down on a cigarette substitute that uses technology similar to devices that Philip Morris USA researchers have focused on in recent years. Meanwhile, Virginia Commonwealth University is studying how much nicotine — the addictive compound in tobacco — the “electronic cigarettes” deliver, under a grant from the National Cancer Institute to look at nicotine products. Since the start of the year, the Food and Drug Administration has issued “Import Alerts” advising staff working alongside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers that they can seize “electronic cigarettes” made by three Chinese companies, federal court records show. The FDA has refused to let at least 17 shipments of electronic cigarettes into the country, saying they are unapproved drug-delivery devices, spokeswoman Karen Riley said. The devices are cigarette-shaped tubes that hold a heater that vaporizes a mix of nicotine and a kind of alcohol for the smoker to inhale. The nicotine and alcohol — usually propylene glycol, used as a moisturizers in cosmetics and in antifreeze — are contained in a replaceable cartridge inserted into the device, which also contains electronic controls that allow it to deliver a puff-of-smokelike dose of nicotine. The vaporizer and control units typically cost $100, while cartridges cost about $2 to $3 each and are supposed to be equivalent to a pack or two of cigarettes. Cigarettes routinely sell for more than $4.50 a pack in Virginia. “The FDA is not [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-06-10T06:41:54-07:00June, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

R. J. Reynolds introducing ‘dissolvable’ tobacco

Source: KSPR News Author: News Staff Tobacco companies are facing new criticism, accused of targeting your kids. Not with ads, but with new types of tobacco products. Like Camel Snus, tea-bags filled with mint-flavored tobacco. R.J. Reynolds says Snus have become so popular, they're taking the next step -- totally dissolvable tobacco The company says it will solve all kinds of problems for traditional smokers. "They don't have second hand smoke. They don't have a litter problem. The product actually dissolves in your mouth as opposed to having to spit or extract something like a patch from your mouth like other smokeless products," says Tommy Payne of R. J. Reynolds. The company will soon test three new products: Camel Sticks that dissolve when you suck them, Minty Tobacco Strips that look like breath strips, and Orbs, flavored dissolvable tablets that some say look and taste like candy. Critics say R. J. Reynolds is doing what it did with Joe Camel -- marketing not to adult smokers, but smoker wanna-bes. "Really what you're doing with kids actually, it's kind of like a gateway drug. You're getting them addicted to nicotine, which then leads them to possibly wanting to do other things," says Dan Smith of the American Cancer Society. The Indiana Poison Control Center says just one Camel dissolvable delivers up to 300 percent of the nicotine found in just one cigarette. Take too many, and nicotine poisoning might set in, and you could develop oral cancer. R. J. Reynolds says [...]

Charlotte Parker2009-06-02T20:51:19-07:00May, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Cancer risk of nicotine gum and lozenges higher than thought

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk Author: Mark Henderson Nicotine chewing gum, lozenges and inhalers designed to help people to give up smoking may have the potential to cause cancer, research has suggested. Scientists have discovered a link between mouth cancer and exposure to nicotine, which may indicate that using oral nicotine replacement therapies for long periods could contribute to a raised risk of the disease. A study funded by the Medical Research Council, led by Muy-Teck Teh, of Queen Mary, University of London, has found that the effects of a genetic mutation that is common in mouth cancer can be worsened by nicotine in the levels that are typically found in smoking cessation products. The results raise the prospect that nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco, may be more carcinogenic than had previously been appreciated. “Although we acknowledge the importance of encouraging people to quit smoking, our research suggests nicotine found in lozenges and chewing gums may increase the risk of mouth cancer,” Dr Teh said. “Smoking is of course far more dangerous, and people who are using nicotine replacement to give up should continue to use it and consult their general practitioners if they are concerned. The important message is not to overuse it, and to follow advice on the packet.” Most nicotine replacement products have labels advising people to cut down after three months of use and to stop completely after six months. Mouth cancer affects nearly 5,000 people each year in Britain and is usually linked to smoking, chewing tobacco [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-04-22T13:47:53-07:00April, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Some say candy-like tobacco tablets a danger to teens

Source: www.kgw.com Author: Jane Smith, KGW staff They’re called Orbs, the first dissolvable tobacco product introduced by a major tobacco company, R.J. Reynolds. Oregon Partnership, a nonprofit group that works to prevent drug abuse among teens says the Orbs are a danger to young people. The tablets have some teenagers doing a double take. "It just looks like a normal mint and if it weren't in that container it would be easy to pass of as a regular mint," said Alex Hailey. “It's a tobacco product with nicotine it's addictive unfortunately kids will probably be attracted to it," said Pete Schulberg. But Reynolds denies marketing to kids, saying Orbs are meant for adults. The tablets hit the Portland market in January, the same month the city became smoke free in restaurants and bars. Some parents worry the products are a more socially acceptable way of putting nicotine into the hands of smokers. "I guess I'm wondering what's the purpose? It seems like it's trying to get around tobacco laws. It seems a little subversive," said one parent. The products are marked with warnings, it may cause mouth cancer and it’s not a safe alternative to cigarettes. While the products may be less harmful because they are smoke-free, they still contain nicotine and can be addictive, no matter what your age.

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-04-07T18:22:36-07:00March, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Smoke signals

Source: waldo.villagesoup.com Author: Dr. Jonathan M. Goss, DDS Dr. Jonathan M. Goss and the Staff of Camden Hills Dental Care would like to provide you with the following information from the Academy of General Dentistry for the education and care of your oral health. Smoke Signals Using tobacco can harm your mouth, including your teeth and gums, in a number of ways. There is no safe form of tobacco—using it produces many problems and risk factors, from tooth discoloration and gum disease to throat, lung, and oral cancer, and ultimately, even death. It is important to understand what happens to your mouth when you use any form of tobacco, and to discuss those effects—and how to quit—with your dentist and physician. What happens to my mouth when I smoke? Smoking reduces blood flow and the supply of vital nutrients to your gums, including vitamin C. Without the proper nutrients, you can develop gum disease, bone loss, and even tooth loss. This is because smoking triggers the accumulation of bacteria in plaque. Smoking also reduces the amount of saliva that flows through your mouth. Saliva is important for cleaning your mouth and preventing tooth decay. In addition, when you smoke, the temperature in your mouth increases and the heat kills important cells in your mouth. You also can see the effects of tobacco use. Nicotine and tar, the major ingredients of cigarettes, discolor your teeth—yellow and brown stains will appear and the sticky tar deposits will adhere to crevices. The roof [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-03-17T08:32:01-07:00March, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Snus news & other tobacco products

Source: snus-news.blogspot.com Author: blog post by tobaccowatch.org 2/28/09 Twenty-six of the United States' leading tobacco control researchers and policy experts have called for regulatory control of all tobacco products. They also called for policies that encourage current tobacco users to reduce their health risks by switching from the most to the least harmful nicotine-containing products. This group met in a two-year process they called The Strategic Dialogue on Tobacco Harm Reduction - members met four times between December 2005 and August 2007. Their vision: a world in which virtually no one uses cigarettes. But the group acknowledged that smokeless-tobacco products are an option for reducing health risks for tobacco users. They also called for policies that encourage current tobacco users to reduce their health risks by switching from the most to the least harmful nicotine-containing products. Paper: Mitch Zeller et al., The strategic dialogue on tobacco harm reduction: A vision and blueprint for action in the United States, Tob Control 2009 0: 200802731, Abstract.. We’re all for this safer alternative if distribution could be limited to inveterate tobacco smokers (smokers who are either unable or unwilling to quit). The harm reduction component envisioned by the American Association of Public Health Physicians would be part of a larger program, with "marketing" limited to satisfying the nicotine addiction of inveterate smokers at substantially less health risk than smoking. Let's be realistic it would be impossible to limit distribution of smokeless tobacco products to inveterate tobacco smokers. As Professor John Britton, Chairman of [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-03-16T13:52:49-07:00March, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Department of Defense tackles tough task in separating fact from fiction about smokeless tobacco

Source: www.eielson.af.mil Author: staff The hard truth about smokeless tobacco is hardly classified intelligence, but sorting out reality versus fantasy takes some maneuvering amid the mountain of information--and misinformation--that abounds. In observance of the Great American Spit Out, Feb. 19, and Through With Chew Week, Feb. 15 through 21, the U.S. Department of Defense is targeting smokeless tobacco as part of its Quit Tobacco--Make Everyone Proud tobacco cessation campaign. At the campaign's official Web site, http://www.youcanquit2.org, there's accurate and easy-to-digest information that sets the record straight on smokeless--spit, chewing, snuff and "dip"-- tobacco. Debunking the myths Myth: Smokeless tobacco products are a safe alternative to tobacco smoking. Fact: Here is the bottom line--smokeless is not harmless. The list of serious illnesses connected to any form of smokeless tobacco is almost too long to print, but includes mouth cancer, cancer of the pancreas, tooth loss, and bone loss around the roots of teeth. Myth: Smokeless tobacco contains less nicotine than cigarettes. Fact: The amount of nicotine absorbed from a can of spit tobacco is equal to the amount delivered by three to four packs of cigarettes. Nicotine is absorbed more slowly from smokeless tobacco than from cigarettes, but more nicotine per dose is absorbed from smokeless tobacco than from cigarettes. Also, the nicotine stays in the bloodstream longer. Myth: Nicotine and all the other poisons disappear when you spit out the tobacco. Fact: When chewers place snuff or smokeless tobacco in their mouth, cheek, or lip, they give nicotine a free [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-02-23T07:54:12-07:00February, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Tobacco road takes a turn to the smokeless

Source: online.wsj.com Author: Kevin Helliker About 18 months ago, Russell Stevens gave up cigarettes and took up a new habit -- placing between his lip and gum a tiny pouch of smokeless tobacco called Camel Snus. The 26-year-old Kentuckian says it satisfies his craving for nicotine while exposing him to far fewer risks than did smoking. Like Mr. Stevens, more Americans are continuing to give up smoking, helping to push cigarette consumption down about 3% each year. To help kick the habit, many smokers turn to safer sources of nicotine -- the addictive but non-carcinogenic ingredient in cigarettes -- such as nicotine gum, patches or lozenges. But one method that has been gaining ground as a safer alternative to cigarettes -- smokeless tobacco -- remains controversial. A decades-old federal law requires smokeless tobacco to carry a label warning that it is not a safe alternative to cigarettes. The perils include possibly increased risk for certain cancers and cardiovascular disease. And U.S. public-health officials note that no clinical trials have been conducted showing that smokeless tobacco is an effective quitting aid. Adding to the controversy: Some of the biggest cigarette makers are jumping into the non-combustible market. "There is no evidence that smokers will switch to smokeless tobacco products and give up smoking," Michael Thun, vice president of epidemiology for the American Cancer Society, said in a recent article in the journal CA. Still, popular brands of smokeless tobacco generally contain far fewer carcinogens than do cigarettes, although some studies indicate [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2009-01-27T15:06:01-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|

Nicorette launches 25g nicotine patch to help people stop smoking

Source: Nursing Times Nicorette has launched a new nicotine replacement therapy programme that includes a 25mg nicotine patch to help people trying to stop smoking Nicorette recommends that smokers begin a stop smoking attempt using a 25mg nicotine patch for eight weeks, then step down to a 15mg patch for two weeks, followed by 10mg patch for a further two weeks. They cite evidence from a European multi-centre trialinvolving 3,575 smokers to support the introduction of a higher strength 25mg patch. This study found that one in two smokers who used the 25mg patch and abstained from smoking during the first week of a quit attempt remained smoke free at 12 weeks. Read full study here

Webmaster2009-01-26T13:21:16-07:00January, 2009|Oral Cancer News|