I’m relatively new to the world of snuff but have smoked roll up cigarettes for 20 years. I’ve quit the cigs and am truly enjoying snuff. The issue I have experienced over the past month is that people have a BIG problem with me using snuff instead of cigs…so much in fact that I have to hide it from colleagues and some friends/family. Has anybody else experienced this taboo side of what is a great hobby?

lots of people are phobic or get all grossed out by snot, it’s a visceral thing for them or they associate it with runny noses due to colds or the flu and some kind of irrational self-preservation reaction kicks in. Just cultivate a self-assured ‘character’ persona and they’ll leave you alone.

@Mouse I think that’s definitely part of it. I think others associate it with hard drug taking due to their ignorance/lack of knowledge. I’m from the north of England which has a good snuff taking tradition…still it seems to be unacceptable to many people. It’s frustrating.

Well, it’s never too early to cultivate a devil-may-care attitude. It comes somewhat naturally as you approach the age of curmudgeonhood. Who knows, maybe it will inspire some adventurousness in your peers.

@Mouse I agree, some will be intrigued and perhaps partake themselves over time. Colleagues at work are more of a problem. You’re right though, it’s not my problem ultimately. Thanks.

Here in the US virtually nobody knows what nasal snuff it so you either hide it or stop caring real fast. I have exactly zero shits left to give. So I take my snuff when I want to and most people do not say a word because who wants to mess with the guy in leather “doing drugs” out in the open?

At the bar, or in public, don’t give a s*(T. At work (totally tobacco-free by law), I use my bullets discreetly (I have to visit the men’s room a lot!). My wife is clueless, which is fine.

After I told a family member about my snuff-taking, she asked if it was legal! If it’s not known about snuff-taking can look rather suspect I suppose, and I got a dirty look in a store once, but most folks just seem to ignore it if they aren’t familiar with it.

People smoke openly at work on work premises. I’m yet to pull a tin out at work. Bullet in men’s room it is for now. Wife is fine with snuff and is actually quite interested, which is a blessing.

For the most part I think it would be viewed as a curiosity more than anything else here in Japan. I have taken a snuff in public but by nature I am rather discrete anyway so I can’t really gauge reactions. In the office I keep it to myself mostly because I have a private suite. For what it’s worth here in Japan smoking is very prevalent but confined to ‘approved’ places but other forms of tobacco don’t seem very prevalent. Oral tobacco is very rare and as I mentioned in my introduction post- nasal snuff seems to be picking up steam- at least where I am just south of Tokyo. In general though- nose blowing and other similar acts seem to be done in as private a setting as possible here.

I live in Virginia and people actually do not mind that much. It’s definitely seen as somewhat eccentric and not something I’d probably do in front of a stranger I’d just met but smokeless tobacco is more accepted here. Some people see me taking pinches and think I’m actually dipping it. A couple of people are familiar with sniffing snuff who grew up in rural areas and knew old ladies. However one of my supervisors did send me an email telling me to wipe down my work area when I leave or do snuff in the bathroom or something because the dust was getting everywhere LOL!

Here in NC no one cares at all… Guess I’m lucky

@Horus92 Va here too, and you reminded me of when I was at the bar one day with a snuffbox full of Super Kailash. A buddy of mine saw me sniffing it and since he dips scotches asked to try it. The look on his face when he got that incensey menthol flavor was interesting to say the least lol

I have yet to take any snuff in public so I don’t really know how that will work out. My wife is perfectly fine with my use of snuff, I smoke less when I’m snuffing so I don’t smell as bad and the house is less smokey. My parents saw me browsing this forum while I was visiting them a few days ago and my mother had a fairly negative reaction and gave a slightly disgusted look. My father on the other hand took it as an opportunity to regale us with stories of how, as a child he remembered his housekeeper using dry snuff as dip. Speaking of dipping dry snuff, years ago I worked at a gas station that stocked dry snuff. Now, I had an onion on my belt, which was the style at the time. They didn’t have white onions because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones… Wait, no, wrong story. So this old timer comes up to the counter and asks for a can of woman snuff. I’d never heard of woman snuff before, only dip which I suppose counts as moist snuff. I had to ask him to clarify and he said he wanted the green can with a peach on it, and told me that it’s a dry powder and Southern women would take a spoonful of it and pour it in their lip.

That’s hard to say. I would say see because most people on the few occasions that I have done it in public have asked me if it is illegal or they just stare at me in complete disgust and trepidation.

@peter77 Where are you Peter?

I was in Massachusetts at the time, I recently moved to Arizona, no idea how they feel about it out here.

I was asked in the office today “what’s that fruit smell?”. I didn’t have the guts to say “toque apricot”!! Perhaps not a work snuff in hindsight.

@TomAD I have often have consider what the snuff smells like to others. I have often gotten what smells like pipe tobacco or cigars in here comment.

I’ve used JH Wilson SP No1 lots of times in the office…no comments. But the Toque Apricot is noticeable to others. My wife has commented positively on the “apricoty smell”.

a tin of J&H Wilson 99 closed is enough for people in my office to go “whats that smell”. Use mine outside in the smoking area, get people asking what on earth are you doing but no real bad comments EDIT: England

At work— told my boss first day so he wouldn’t go on about it-- and he hasn’t. Again-- doesn’t seem to be any big deal here in NC— no one gives a damn and that suits me just fine.

As long as you act like its normal people assume it is. Think like walking into a bar when you were underage walk in like your supposed to be there and people assume you are.

In Indonesia, people assume it’s hard drugs. Often, even when you explain it and let them have a look or offer them a pinch, they find it hard to shift their attitudes. A few people have said that if the police see me, they’ll arrest me and then stitch me up with something to justify the arrest later. I think that’s a bit paranoid, myself, but more than one person has said that. Add to that that I work in an anti-tobacco environment and that blowing your nose in public in Indonesia is pretty taboo anyway, at the very least, you have to step aside and turn away from anyone you’re speaking to. Despite all those things, I still snuff in public, usually using a tap box and with a fair amount of discretion. At work, I go to the bathroom. With friends or cool colleagues, if I’m going to be in close proximity with them for a while, I just tell them straight out, “Don’t be surprised if you see me snort brown powder up my nose, it’s tobacco snuff.”

Its more the curiosity that exist… every time I feel eyes on me is more because i put a substance in my nose and not because of the smell. It’s more the movement that create uncomfortness to curious eyes and questions of what substance can be. Public use always will create 360-degrees curious eyes

Here in Switzerland, not at all taboo. Most people seem to know what snuff is, those who don’t seem not to care or a very few will ask out of curiosity and then give a positive reaction. I’ve never once had a negative response from anyone. The Swiss are pretty laid back and smoking rates are high so people aren’t generally averse to tobacco.

The older you guys get, the less you will care, frankly speaking and same goes with others who are nosey enough to even give a second look.

I live in small town Colorado. Lots of super fitness and health food store types, runners, skiers, cyclists, and also old rancher types, lots of them smoke or chew, but I’ve never seen anyone using nasal snuff, not once, never. I take tap boxes out with me, and usually do pinches in my car, or try to without going off the road or hitting an elk or antelope. I imagine people would think its a drug, but pot is legal here, and there are “recreational marijuana” ( is there any other kind?) shops in town. I don’t give a damn if anyone sees me, but I don’t blow my nose in public, just in my old beat up Land Cruiser, which has snuff spilled all over the steering wheel and stick shift.

I like that it’s Taboo and Elitist. When I see an E-cigarette person walking down the street I just cringe at how trendy it is. I’m happy they are trying to do something that’s not so devastating to their health, but I’m glad snuff is a little bit deviant. Even though people have been doing it since the dawn of time.

I’m in Tennessee. I snuff in public and blow my nose in private. I’m also getting old and don’t give a rat’s ass what anybody thinks. Of course they’re entitled to their opinion, and I’m entitled to ignore them and their opinion. I got “caught” doing a pinch in my doctor’s office. He was glad I’d quit cigarettes.

I’m another one in Virginia and the only reaction I ever get is from my Mom who cringes any time I take a pinch when I’m at her house. She thinks sticking things in your nose is gross(it’s also fun to get her going lol). All and all they are happy I kicked the multiple pack a day cigarette habit. Other than that there was one time back when I was using a bullet I took a toot while pumping gas and had someone ask me for "a hook-up on the blow. " That’s when I decided to use a proper snuff box all the time and ditch the bullets. I snuff openly and often but even still I don’t get to much of a reaction from anyone aside from family and friends which is generally received with curiosity. Like others have saidI think it has a lot to do with how you carry yourself and portray it. If you go hide to take a pinch or are reserved and try to be excessively discreet you are drawing more attention to yourself then just going on about your business and not caring about what others think.

Like @lunecat (also in the UK) I don’t think people are that bothered, people rarely ask me what it is, I get the occasional curious look. It starts a conversation infrequently. I reckon it’s there in the public memory/collective consciousness, but people just find it an odd/quaint or slightly eccentric habit. It’s funny though, I’ve had people ‘remind’ me that you can’t smoke, if I’ve had a cigarette in my mouth, or am rolling one before. No one has ever tried to say that snuffing wasn’t allowed. I think because the impact of snuff is so limited no one’s that bothered because it doesn’t affect them - So much the better for us snuff fiends!!! :))

The only time I try to hide my snuffing and snusing is if I happen to be on a job site that has a no tobacco at all policy.

Here in Spain there´s a great taboo about puting ANYTHING up your nose for most of the people,at least for the midle aged population, within the below 30 years range there´s more flexibility of opinions. Is irrelevant how much you try to explain that it´s only tobacco, it´s not illegal, has a great tradition, it´s marvelous, it´s safer than cigs, etc… No way you can scape the looks, most time they are of incredulity but can range from funny, disgusted, to openly agressive. It´s a shame that in the country that built the first snuffmill of all the continent the most spread opinion is this bad. 8-|

I´ve never had any trouble yet when I snuff in public (apart from askance glances of curiosity and strangeness), but… hey, they have to get used to it. We´re just bringing to life again an old tradition! Our cultural heritage deserves to be revived. It´s the sign of times: today´s oddity is tomorrow´s mainstream, and vice versa. Maybe to change minds we just have to be polite and offer our snuffbox to strangers, as some offer cigarettes.

I’ve never had any trouble in San Francisco, but I do use the back of the hand or box care when I’m in public so no one things I’m picking my nose. In a dark theater I use a pinch, and at home or among friends I use a pinch.

Here in the UK, people seem to know what snuff is. And if you are casual about snuffing in public, even leaving your tin or snuff box on view, like on the bar or a table then I just assume people understand what it is, A conversation topic too.

this ^^^. I don’t truly see the point in this thread because, frankly speaking, all tobacco has/is taboo anymore— and if someone looks at me sideways, then I just tell them, “it’s tobacco, you c*nt, what you leering at?” Most of the world is full up of pansies anymore-- and not just about tobacco-- most everything— wimps one and all.

Ditto what the General says. Or should we just call him Louis?