5 ms·

Another alternative to smoking is Swedish Snus! It also falls in the "probably not risk free, but certainly not nearly as bad as cigarettes". As an added bonus,

Another alternative to smoking is Swedish Snus! It also falls in the "probably not risk free, but certainly not nearly as bad as cigarettes". As an added bonus, you don't have to go outside to use since nobody else is affected (unless they want to kiss you or something). But of course, although snus is a credible safer alternative to cigarettes, it is banned in every other EU country while cigarettes remain completely legal.

strbean 7y ago
Don't forget that American tobacco companies all have "snus" products that are actually regular 'dipping' tobacco placed into pouches. Swedish Snus is cold-cured, while other dip is heat-cured. It is well established that partial combustion of organic matter creates a bunch of different carcinogens. With cigarettes, you are inhaling partial combustion products from plant matter that has already undergone partial combustion once, and you have astronomical cancer risk. With dip, you are putting partially combusted plant matter in your mouth and have quite high cancer risks. With swedish snus, you are putting zero partial combustion, and no discernible cancer risk.
- Ductapemaster 7y ago
  I had no idea about the difference - interesting. I thought nicotine itself was a carcinogen though?
  - p1necone 7y ago
    Nicotine on its own is no more harmful than caffeine, it's other stuff in tobacco that gets you (and burning it doesn't help). So I'm still skeptical that "cold cured" snus would be safe.
    - strbean 7y ago
      > it's other stuff in tobacco that gets you I think the evidence regarding swedish snus shows that it is far less carcinogenic than traditionally-cured oral tobacco, but still significantly carcinogenic. In particular, swedish snus has very little in the way of nitrosamines [1], a major carcinogenic element of heat-cured tobacco products. RE: harmfulness of nicotine, my impression was that it was a little more harmful to the heart than caffeine. I suppose this would depend on dosage, which is difficult to compare. [1] https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60677-1 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60677-1
  - tpudlik 7y ago
    That (nicotine carrying non-minimal health risks) is Myth 3 in the linked article. I recommend reading it, it's very informative!
xp84 7y ago
Is that a kind of chewing tobacco? If so, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you may want to book a room in Mouth Cancer City because I'm afraid you might be headed there.
- colonwqbang 7y ago
  No chewing, it just goes under the lip. In Sweden it used to say "causes cancer" on the tin like it does on cigarettes. But the government removed the warning and now it just carries a nonspecific "harmful to health" warning. I guess that means that there wasn't enough proof that it actually causes cancer. But of course, future research might prove again that it does.
  - RandallBrown 7y ago
    You don't actually chew on chewing tobacco. It goes in your lip too.

strbean 7y ago

Don't forget that American tobacco companies all have "snus" products that are actually regular 'dipping' tobacco placed into pouches. Swedish Snus is cold-cured, while other dip is heat-cured. It is well established that partial combustion of organic matter creates a bunch of different carcinogens. With cigarettes, you are inhaling partial combustion products from plant matter that has already undergone partial combustion once, and you have astronomical cancer risk. With dip, you are putting partially combusted plant matter in your mouth and have quite high cancer risks. With swedish snus, you are putting zero partial combustion, and no discernible cancer risk.

Ductapemaster 7y ago
I had no idea about the difference - interesting. I thought nicotine itself was a carcinogen though?
- p1necone 7y ago
  Nicotine on its own is no more harmful than caffeine, it's other stuff in tobacco that gets you (and burning it doesn't help). So I'm still skeptical that "cold cured" snus would be safe.
  - strbean 7y ago
    > it's other stuff in tobacco that gets you I think the evidence regarding swedish snus shows that it is far less carcinogenic than traditionally-cured oral tobacco, but still significantly carcinogenic. In particular, swedish snus has very little in the way of nitrosamines [1], a major carcinogenic element of heat-cured tobacco products. RE: harmfulness of nicotine, my impression was that it was a little more harmful to the heart than caffeine. I suppose this would depend on dosage, which is difficult to compare. [1] https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60677-1 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60677-1
- tpudlik 7y ago
  That (nicotine carrying non-minimal health risks) is Myth 3 in the linked article. I recommend reading it, it's very informative!

xp84 7y ago

Is that a kind of chewing tobacco? If so, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you may want to book a room in Mouth Cancer City because I'm afraid you might be headed there.

colonwqbang 7y ago
No chewing, it just goes under the lip. In Sweden it used to say "causes cancer" on the tin like it does on cigarettes. But the government removed the warning and now it just carries a nonspecific "harmful to health" warning. I guess that means that there wasn't enough proof that it actually causes cancer. But of course, future research might prove again that it does.
- RandallBrown 7y ago
  You don't actually chew on chewing tobacco. It goes in your lip too.