So there's this thing going on tomorrow called The Great American Spit-Out 2011, and once again I'm going to go into another rant from my soapbox. Sorry, I know you guys don't read my blog for this kinda stuff, but hey, it's my blog - so I'm going to rant a bit. I remember last year on World Anti-Tobacco Day or whatever it was called I wrote an article about how I was proudly using snus on this day that attempts to demonize all tobacco products. This day is just as ridiculous as that day. Larry Waters from SnusCENTRAL actually interviewed one of the folks involved with this day and it was interesting to see how much they don't know about snus. For those who haven't seen it - the press release says the following. "Using smokeless tobacco—spit, dip, chew, snus, etc.—can pose a stinky, unsavory obstacle to sharing a kiss with a loved one, parent, child or sweetheart. Surgery to treat oral cancer, which has been linked to smokeless tobacco use, can remove parts of the face, tongue, cheek or lip, severely damaging one’s social desirability, not to mention the telltale bulging cheeks, gunk stuck in teeth, permanently discolored teeth and spitting cups--hardly date-bait."
It's interesting to note how quick people are to group snus in with other forms of smokeless tobacco. Since I quit smoking with snus, I've yet to have bulging cheeks or discolored teeth - and have yet to use a spit cup. Not only that, but I know several folks who use snus in reside in "Kiss City". Snus is so discreet people can kiss, makeout, etc - whatever you wanna do without a "stinky, unsavory obstacle to sharing a kiss". And then the mention of oral cancer. The anti-tobacco folks love this one. Anytime smokeless tobacco is mentioned snus is always grouped in with dip, which drives me crazy. Seriously. Get your facts straight, DoD. 
This campaign is designed for people to quit all forms of tobacco without offering any information about alternatives, especially those that are reduced harm. Sound familiar? "Quit or Die" anyone? The thing I find most interesting about this is that the DoD which masquerades patriotism with images and slogans about "the troops" or "for our men and women in harm's way" sure are doing a hefty load of domestic terrorism. Whoa, wait wait wait....Chad, really? Did you just go there? Oh yes, I did. If the folks at the good ol' DoD really wanted people to quit using products that can cause cancer and harm people they would get their facts straight and quit demonizing all forms of tobacco. (Geez it seems like I say this a lot, I need a tattoo of it or something). By telling people "Quit or Die" without suggesting alternatives such as harm reduced tobacco including Swedish Snus it shows that those in power really don't care about those they're preaching to about quitting smoking/dipping.
When the new cigarette warning labels were revealed, I wrote in this article about trying an image that suggests alternatives, even made up a little picture they could try out as opposed to all their Doom And Gloom/Quit Or Die junk. Maybe Mr. FDA will listen, but probably not. Anyways, getting off my soap box. This Spit-Out Day thingy is BS. If you want to quit using dip/smoking, try snus. I've seen it help people quit and their lifestyles/health have drastically improved. You DO have options. Snus helped me quit a 6 year habit and I couldn't be happier. There are no documented cases of snus causing any kind of oral cancer. If you're new to snus and want to do some research, check out some studies and educate yourself before being spoon fed garbage like this new campaign from the DoD. //endrant.
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