No smoke, no danger? No way.

Chewing tobacco:

contains more nicotine than cigarettes
is more addictive than cigarettes
makes it more difficult to recover from injuries and think clearly
makes you more likely to get oral cancer - and maybe lose half your face

Want to find out more? Click on a question, or simply keep scrolling.

What is chewing tobacco?
What's in it?
What does it do to me?
How can I stop?
Did you know?
Where can I learn more?
Tackle the tough questions.

what is chewing tobacco?

Call it what you like: spit, chew, plugs, twists, snuff, smokeless, dips. It's all the same thing.

Chewing tobacco is usually sold as leaf tobacco and put between the cheek and gum. Users keep chewing tobacco in their mouths for several hours to get a continuous high from the nicotine in the tobacco. Snuff is a powdered tobacco (usually sold in cans) that is put between the lower lip and the gum. Just a pinch is all that's needed to release the nicotine, which is then swiftly absorbed into the bloodstream, giving you a quick high.

Some people say spit tobacco is ok because there's no smoke, like in cigarettes. But chewing isn't a safe alternative to smoking. You just move health problems from your lungs to your mouth.

The chemicals in chewing tobacco are what make you high. They also make it very hard to quit. Why? Every time you use it your body adjusts to the amount of chew tobacco needed to get that high. Then you need a little more chew tobacco to get the same feeling.

what's in it?

Chewing tobacco is a deadly stew. 3000 chemicals. 28 known cancer-causing elements. Here's some of what's inside.

Nicotine - a naturally occurring poison that acts as the tobacco plant's own insecticide
Arsenic - used in rat poison
Acetone - paint thinner, nail polish remover
Ammonia - household cleaning fluid
Butane - lighter fluid
Cadmium - metal in car batteries and oil paints
Cyanide - a lethal poison
Formaldehyde - embalming fluid for dead bodies
Hydrazine - used in jet and rocket fuels
Lead - a highly poisonous metal
Polonium 210 - nuclear waste

what does it do to me

Lots of nasty stuff.

Addiction

Chewing tobacco delivers nicotine differently than in smoking. Sand and fiberglass are mixed in with the chew tobacco to cut the inside of your mouth so the nicotine can get into your bloodstream faster. Withdrawal symptoms are very uncomfortable including drowsiness, nervousness, headache, irritability, cravings, and tremors.

Fitness

Nicotine narrows your blood vessels, slowing reaction time and causing dizziness - a losing proposition when playing sports or working.

Cancer

Spit tobacco may cause oral cancer, and increases the risk of cancers of the throat, voice box and gullet (or oesophagus). On average, half of all oral cancer victims die within five years.

Heart diseases

Chew may increase the risk of heart disease, diseases of the arteries and veins, stroke, and high blood pressure.

Oral damage

Chew damages the inside of the mouth. It can cause leukoplakia (sores that can develop into cancer); tooth abrasion; receding gums; gum and tooth disease, yellowing teeth; and chronic bad breath. Long-term users increase their risk of cancer of the cheek and gum by up to 50 times.

how can I stop?

At the end of the day, it's your mouth and your decision to stop chewing tobacco. If you're game, we'd like to help. Click here to un-plug.

did you know?

A few fast - and ugly - facts about chew.

A top-selling US brand sells 640 million cans of chewing tobacco a year. That's as much as Diet Pepsi.
8-10 dips or chews a day is the same as smoking 30-40 cigarettes.
Holding an average dip or chew in your mouth for half an hour is like smoking 4 cigarettes.
Studies show most people start chewing tobacco at the age of 12.
Sand is an abrasive in chew that tears up the inside of your mouth so that nicotine can more effectively enter your bloodstream. However, it also affects your teeth. Imagine taking sandpaper over the surface of your teeth for several hours every day.
In 2003, 1/3 of big league baseball players were using chew but it is illegal for Minor League Baseball players to use chew.
Chew is a performance-enhancing drug. Not.
Chew is the only segment of the tobacco industry that is growing.

Where can I learn more?

For more info on chew and what it can do to you, drop by:

Health Canada
Medline Plus
National Center For Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
American Cancer Society
National Spit Tobacco Education Program

Tackle the tough question

Find out just how much you know about chew. Are you game?