The 2010 data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) showed that more than 3.5% of people aged 12 and older were current users of smokeless tobacco – that’s about 8.9 million people. Use of smokeless tobacco was higher in younger age groups, with over 6% of people aged 18 to 25 saying that they were current users.
About 1.4 million people age 12 and older started using smokeless tobacco in the year before the survey. Nearly half of the new users were under age 18 when they first used it.
That is supported by the CDC’s 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. They found that use of smokeless tobacco among high school kids is even higher than for young adults. The CDC found that more than 15% of male high school students and more than 2% of female high school students had used smokeless tobacco in the month before the survey.
The CDC Youth Tobacco Survey looked at even younger children. In their 2009 survey, nearly 3% of middle school students reported using smokeless tobacco at least once in the 30 days before the survey.
The tobacco industry offers sweetened and flavored smokeless tobacco. It can taste more like candy with flavors such as vanilla, mint, and fruits, which makes it more appealing to young people.
Certain factors seem to be linked to whether or not young people will use tobacco. They include:
- Peer pressure
- Local lifestyles and fashions
- General attitudes toward authority
- Economic conditions
- Examples set by teachers and school staff
- Presence of gangs
- Use of illegal drugs and alcohol
In 2003, more than 1 in 3 major league baseball players used smokeless tobacco, mainly moist snuff, and many still do today. Athletes are a large marketing source for smokeless tobacco, and are often seen on TV using it during a game. As role models, they can influence youth to be more open to and accepting of smokeless tobacco.
State-enforced smoking bans are a more recent influence on the use of smokeless tobacco. In response to these bans, tobacco companies have been marketing smokeless tobacco products more heavily. They are advertising smokeless tobacco products as alternatives to cigarettes in places where smoking is not allowed. When smokers use these products as substitutes instead of trying to quit tobacco, it continues to support the tobacco industry.
Smokers who put off quitting by using smokeless tobacco for a nicotine fix while in smoke-free settings do not decrease their lung cancer risk. Lung cancer risk is affected most by how long a person smokes. And these people are still using tobacco and still smoking cigarettes. Research has shown that people who use smokeless tobacco and also smoke often find it harder to quit tobacco.
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