Upon initially reading the results of new research that found that nearly 30 percent of U.S. male smokers between the ages of 18 and 24 who were living in snus test market areas had tried the product, Dr. Ross thought the study was going to finally reveal the truth about snus and other smokeless tobacco products that they can help smokers get off deadly cigarettes. Unfortunately, however, Dr. Ross was gravely disappointed since the study led by the Center for Survey Research at the University of Massachusetts and Legacy, a national public health foundation arrived at an opposite conclusion.
For the study, over 5,000 smokers ages 18 to 49 were surveyed in 2008 in several snus test markets, and researchers found that those who tried the product were less likely to be planning to quit smoking within 30 days. Dr. Cheryl. G. Healton, president and CEO of Legacy, added, The field of tobacco control is often faced with the issue of harm reduction. We don t suggest that smokers substitute one form of tobacco for another, because there is simply no such thing as a safe tobacco product.
Note Dr. Healton s phraseology, ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross says. There is nothing to indicate that she is aware of, or much less cares about, the 45 million addicted smokers in the U.S. and the terribly low success rates for traditional and approved cessation methods. In addition, Dr. Ross says that the study results are grossly misleading, as those who might want to use snus to get off cigarettes cannot be legally informed in the marketing of those products that they might work for that purpose. In fact, data suggest that smokers who use snus are more successful at quitting than are those who try to use older methods.
