Your Opinion on health when it comes to Snuff use?

aah, good on him, whada i know:)

Way back in Jan 2009 I posted the following. It might be due repost, because I think it is a really interesting point that leads to a much wider debate.

One thing that is not often discussed re nicotine addiction is the VERY strong genetic correlation. Smoking runs in families not because parents smoke but because they are the parents. Twins separated at birth and raised in smoking and non-smoking households respectively end up equally addicted to nicotine only as a result of their birth parents, not their environment. IMHO, if you are addicted to nicotine it is (almost) pointless trying to stop your kids from becoming addicted; what we can do though is guide their addiction to less harmful nicotine delivery methods.


There is a great section in “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell on nicotine and how addictive it is (or not). It is based on a study done by researchers at Michigan University. As they say, “in the heated rhetoric of the war on smoking” a critical point is often lost. “…how ‘sticky’ smoking ends up being to any single person, depends a great deal on his or her own particular reaction to nicotine…of all teenagers who experiment with cigarettes, only about a third go on to smoke regularly. Nicotine may be highly addictive, but it is only addictive in some people, some of the time…smoking experts used to think that 90-95% of all those who smoked were regular smokers. But several years ago, the smoking questions on the federal government’s national health survey were made more specific, and researchers discovered to their astonishment, that a fifth of all smokers don’t smoke every day. There are millions of Americans, in other words, who manage to smoke regularly and not be hooked - people for whom smoking is contagious but not sticky”


There’s a lot more, but you get the idea.


see also this:


Saul Shiffman1

(1) Clinical Psychology, 706 OEH, University of Pittsburgh, 15260 Pittsburgh, PA, USA


Received: 24 May 1988 Accepted: 5 October 1988

Abstract This study explores the behavior of tobacco chippers — very light smokers who regularly use tobacco without developing dependence. Eighteen chippers (CHs) who averaged a maximum of five cigarettes per day, but who smoked at least 4 days per week, were compared to 29 dependent smokers (DSs). Laboratory data showed that CHs inhale cigarette smoke and are exposed to nicotine. In both experimental and retrospective self-report data, CHs showed no signs of tobacco withdrawal when abstinent. CHs also differed from DSs in their pattern of smoking: their smoking was less linked with mood states. However, the hypothesis that they were social smokers was contradicted. CHs also differed on psychosocial variables relevant to a stress-coping model of smoking: they reported less stress, better coping, and more social support, but these differences were small. Although the two groups were demographically similar, smoking behavior differences between CHs and DSs were long-standing: the two groups differed in their responses to initial smoking and in their family histories of smoking and cessation. CHs’ smoking behavior challenges classical theories of dependence; further research is needed on the factors that may protect CHs from addiction.


I will testify on having an inherited genetic disposition for nicotine. I consider myself very fortunate to have found snuff. Having never taken up cigarette smoking my younger years lacked a certain something. I ended up turning to anti-anxiety medication as a young adult. Now having a steady supply of nicotine I have simply dropped the meds. My quality of life has improved dramatically with tobacco use. Whatever “side effects” snuff has are certainly worth the risk in my case. I am certain that if it were not for corporate cigarettes, tobacco would have a much more respectable standing in the world of medicine.

^    I’ll pinch to that!

My mother has smoked 2 packs a day for 30+ years, including the time she was pregnant (thanks for the Asthma, mom!), and my father has smoked a pack a day for 40 years. So would make sense that nicotine would affect me (and other people whose parents are heavy nicotine users) would have such a strong attachment to it…and a friend of mine whose parents never smoked can pick up and put down cigarettes like they were nothing. I’m seen him smoke a pack a day for months and just put them down for months and then smoke lightly for a year then nothing AND NEVER GO THROUGH WITHDRAWAL…I frequently tell him how much I hate him.

“I am certain that if it were not for corporate cigarettes, tobacco
would have a much more respectable standing in the world of medicine.”
@Juxtaposer

That’s a fascinating statement to me and I agree! That being said what are your reasons for believing corporate cigarettes are viewed so negatively? I want to get a sense if we all believe the same things. What could corporate cigarettes do to gain more respect? Could they?

This is not the full answer to the question, but I think this is a factor. Most of you are aware of what happens to the tobacco in most mass-market cigarettes- altering, chemicalizing etc. of the tobacco. Many would say this is done deliberately to make them more addictive, and it’s my opinion that this also makes them more dangerous. If this particular branch of the tobacco industry is mostly concerned with money, and ignoring other issues. It’s rather different than the snuff industry, the pipe tobacco industry, etc which gets repeat business because of quality not “chemical warfare”.

@thorgrimnr Unfortunately that discussion would enter the realm of politics. 

Certainly if it were not for cigarettes the original poster would not have posted this thread.

I think the genetic theory might have a lot truth to it; I don’t know how quickly the gene pool changes and if 500 years of Western tobacco use is sufficiently long enough for changes to happen - maybe it’s more an addiction gene. When I was a kid it was a non smoking house, but when relatives came round and smoked I found the smell intoxicating; I even collected the butts and hoarded them away to sniff in private - I couldn’t have been more than seven.

Does anyone here watch Tropical Bob? He does those youtube vids on how to save money on your tobacco habit; he makes the point that alkaloids in tobacco are integral to the brain chemistry that keeps you using nicotine, and the absence of those alkaloids in NRT products is the reason that most everyone that tries to quit with them eventually fails. So it seems fair to say that we have tobacco addictions, not just plain nicotine ones. I would certainly agree that there are addictive personalities - because I am one and I have had other addictions - and that in itself muddy’s the water. If such a thing were allowed these days it would be fascinating to do double blind testing on a significant population. My bet would be that people have tobacco addictions plain and simple, and  people with both a tobacco addiction and an addictive personality are the ones that can never quit, how ever many times they try and whatever NRT products are used. This group would be the one that snuff could help the most.

If you do any reading on addictions other than tobacco, it quickly becomes clear that there is indeed a strong genetic component to addictive neurochemistry and behavior.  The cluster of genes responsible for a predisposition to alcoholism were identified years ago. 

In a strange twist of fate, addictions got transferred between ethnic groups, too.  European settlers to North America introduced alcohol to the natives, while the natives introduced the settlers to tobacco, a trade-off that clobbered both groups in their respective genetic weaknesses.

It may be dangerous to snuff while preforming brain surgery. I figured I throw that in here for all the brain surgeons out there!

What fascinates me most about @Juxtaposer 's statement is could tobacco ever be respected by the medical community. Is there anything corporate cigarette companies could do, to not be so hated? What can be done to shift the concept that tobacco is only cigarettes? What can be done to shift the view that tobacco is only harmful? Can we get to a place where we, as a species,  stop being in fear of it? No one is forcing anyone to use it.

What is most harmful I believe, is not tobacco, not nicotine, but the inhalation of the smoke during the process of smoking. This would be true if we all decided to smoke carrot tops for example. Smoke and lungs are not terribly good friends, ever…but each person should have the choice to use tobacco as they see fit and I certainly don’t pass any judgement myself.  I enjoyed smoking when I did.

As an ex-smoker I know first hand how hard it was on my lungs. I would try and fall asleep but was kept awake by my own wheezing. I had to force myself to breathe shallower just to stop the squeaking in my lungs. I very quickly put the cigarettes down after 10 years, I moved on to Swedish snus for 5 years…and now I have put that down and am using snuff for the past two years.  I love tobacco well beyond the fact that it contains nicotine. I enjoy the history, the cultivation, the harvest, storage and production of it. It has so much breadth.   I would like to continue to use tobacco throughout my life as long as I continue to enjoy it .

Having health concerns about tobacco usage is responsible in my opinion. It means you have awareness and can make your own decision about it.

medical science is finaly catching up with the truth about the tobacco plant. It’s not there yet but there are a steadily increasing number of studies that find significant benefits. As well as realizing that certain tobaccos are diffrent then others as far as the negatives.

@Thorgrimnr smoking mullein herb Mullein helps to thin mucus and reduce chest congestion. It helps to make coughs more productive. and coltsfoot herb; smoking dried coltsfoot leaves was recommended treatment for coughs.bronchitis and emphysema systems.
Lobelia herb; lobelia is most often used as part of a smoking cessation program.The combination of lobeline to reduce the craving for nicotine and the expectorant action of the tea makes it a powerful aid for those who want to quit smoking .Lobelia is also an emetic,and one of the fastest knowing antispasmodics known.It has been giving to relax bronchial spasms during an asthma attack.

These three herbs combined make up the mixture to stop smoking. The lobeline is similar to nicotine and should be reduced weekly until none is added to the blend.

So there are some herbs that are good for the lungs but best taken as a tea,Smoking these in public has that familiar 60 tys herb smell to it.

@basement_shaman  -  thank you for the plant wisdom. I have used Mullein in the past just as you’ve mentioned here. I also try and drink an organic licorice root tea now and again to help clear my lungs.  Traditional Medicinal’s  makes an excellent one, but I have to be sure not to drink it too often as too much of the glycyrrhizic acid can be hard on my body. My adrenals are not what they used to be.

@basement_shaman I am very impressed. You certainly live up to your name. I can never remember that stuff off the top of my head and always have to go to my notes (or my wife) when I need an herbal medicine.

I wouldn’t be too  worried about to much liquorice root, I mean people commonly chew on the roots when trying to give up cigs, and the Chinese liquorice is actually the main detoxifier and used in most formulas. I mean it’s good to consult a professional about taking new herbs etc, but as long as you don’t have high blood pressure or certain kidney/adrenal conditions, it’s unlikely to hurt you- it’s even used in cooking. If your taking less than 10 grams a day I bet any risk is very, very low. They actually use it to counteract a mutltitude of toxins. But of course this is a laymans and former student’s opinion.

Glycyrrhizin works wonders on tobacco!

I’ve been told that the pipe tobacco industry uses more liquorice than any other industry.

Both my parents used to smoke, my mum managed to quit a few years ago, but I think my dad is still at it.
I’m pretty sure that if I hadn’t started snuffing, I would’ve probably ended up smoking instead.  My brother took up smoking pipes and cigars around the same time I picked up snuff.

I’m rather inclined to agree that this addiction may run in the family.