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Smokeless tobacco - another “Light” and “Mild”?

With the influx of new smokeless tobacco products in the global market, it is premature to assume that they will have a net public health benefit simply because they are currently believed to be less lethal than cigarettes. Are smokeless tobacco products harm reduction, a gateway to combustible tobacco products use or another case of “light and mild” prestidigitation?

Additional Information from the Tobacco Control Reference Catalogue

Smokeless tobacco : harm reduction debatable
CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 58(1): 4-6. January 2008. [Article]
The tobacco control community is divided on whether or not to inform the public that using smokeless tobacco is less hazardous to health than smoking tobacco. This paper presents arguments for (UK Royal College of Physicians) and against (American Cancer Society) promoting smokeless tobacco as a form of harm reduction.

Epidemiologic perspectives on smokeless tobacco marketing and population harm
Tomar, Scott L.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 33(6 Suppl.1): S387- S397. December 2007. [Article]
Tobacco harm reduction, involves the use of alternative sources of nicotine, including modern smokeless tobacco products. This report critically reviews new and published epidemiological evidence on health effects of moist snuff and its patterns of use relative to smoking in the United States, Sweden, and Norway.