Smokeless Tobacco

Need To Know There is no such thing as “safe” tobacco Smokeless tobacco doesn’t mean it’s

harmless 20% of high school boys chew and 2%

of high school girls One third of the 14 million users are

under the age of 21 More than half of these users developed the

habit before they were 13

Need To Know Immediate effects

Bad breath Yellowing of teeth Mouth sores (70% of users have them)

Cracking and bleeding of the gums and lips Receding gum lines that lead to teeth falling

out Increased heartbeat, high blood pressure,

irregular heart beat (all lead to a greater risk of cancer and brain damage from a stroke)

Nice to Know Not all cancer from chewing tobacco

leads to mouth cancer. It can also lead to cancer of:

Stomach, esophagus, bladder, and pancreatic cancer

Necessary Skills Use a patch or nicotine gum to help you

quit. Use substitutes such as tobacco free

snuff, gum, hard candy, or beef jerky. Do something instead of chewing

Ex: running, lifting weights, playing a sport.

References http://

kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/tobacco/smokeless.html

http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerCauses/TobaccoCancer/SmokelessTobaccoandHowtoQuit/smokeless-tobacco-risks