"It has long been known that while no nicotine product is completely harmless, harm reduction products pose only about 1% the risk from smoking and this difference is so great that for the average smoker, using a smokeless product for the rest of his life poses about the same risk as 30 days of continuing to smoke."
Prof. Carl V. Phillips, published in Harm Reduction Journal.
"There is no scientific basis for denying the benefits of tobacco harm reduction and it is time that we offer smokers honest public health interventions rather than the moralizing and deadly 'abstinence-only' approach."
Peter Lee, published in a BioMed Central journal.
"We think it would be good public health policy to encourage inveterate smokers to adopt less harmful ways of using nicotine,"
Coral Gartner and Wayne Hall, Expert Researches//Australia
This is one of the most important areas on Snubie.com, if not the most important area on Snubie.com. In 2009, I was able to quit smoking with Swedish Snus after failing every attempt I tried with pharmaceutical aids. I had about given up hope until I found Swedish Snus. I started Snubie.com to help people not only transition from the fake American Snus over to REAL Swedish Snus, but to also help people quit smoking by sharing input, suggestions, facts and studies about Swedish Snus. I hope this area is helpful to you - and if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to contact me and I'll help in any way I can!
What is Swedish Snus?
Swedish Snus is a product that has been sold in Sweden for over 200 years. It is a moist, ground tobacco product that you put in your upper lip - it comes in pouches (portions) or loose (finely ground tobacco). If you want to learn more about the different types of snus, check out our article on different types of snus. Also, this page has tons of information about various snus terms, and pronunciations of Swedish words that are common in the snus world, but not common to the average American.
Swedish Snus has grown in popularity in the US since 2007 when Swedish Match began selling it in the US. RJ Reynolds Camel American SNUS product has helped the popularity grow, though we do not recommend using it because it is not real snus. If you want more information about American "SNUS" vs Swedish Snus, check out this article and it explains how American "SNUS" is not REAL snus.
What is the history of Swedish Snus?
In the 16th century, snuff - which was a form of pulverized tobacco - was introduced to France. The story goes on to tell us that Jean Nicot, working for the French court, gave it to Catherine de' Medici for a headache. The more she used this, the more popular it became among the monarchs and well to-do citizens. This snuff (which was inhaled), spread to Sweden in the 17th century. Later on around the 19th century, the Swedish began to develop moist snuff (which was an ORAL tobacco product used in the upper lip) and became known as snus. This is the earliest history of snus, and shows the rich history of snus, and the years that have gone into its development to make it the refined product we know today!
How do I use Swedish Snus?
You can check out our article here for more info, but Swedish Snus is very easy to use. It goes in your upper lip between your cheek and your gum. It is spit free and very discrete to use.
How is Swedish Snus different from dip?
For a detailed explanation, you can check out our video on the differences between dip and Swedish Snus. The basic explanation is that while they are both tobacco products - they are made different. American Dip is fermented (fire cured) which is one of the main reasons dip causes oral cancer. Swedish Snus is pasteurized (steam cured) which does not allow the cancer causing agents (carcinogens) or TSNA levels to increase. Swedish Snus goes in your upper lip where it avoids your salivary glands and does not cause you to spit, whereas dip goes in your lower lip and causes you to spit. Also, the way Swedish Snus is made makes it perfectly safe for you to swallow the spit if you do decide to put it in your lower lip.
How does Swedish Snus help me quit smoking?
The pharmaceutical products have a very low success rate - so if you have tried to quit smoking with the gum, the patch or Chantix and have failed, do not feel bad. These products do not help many people. For one reason, they have a VERY low amount of nicotine. Swedish Snus has enough nicotine in it that you can quit smoking quite easily. I was able to quit in a week after switching to Swedish Snus. Though it is not always that quick for most people, it has been observed to be quicker than with pharmaceutical aids.
When you smoke, your body goes through highs and lows. If you go a while without smoking, you experience a low - and when you smoke, you experience a high. One thing snus does so well is deliver nicotine in a steady supply to your blood so that you do not experience the highs and lows, it is a much better form of nicotine delivery.
If you look at the chart below, it shows how nicotine absorbs into your body. You can see that cigarettes hit you rather quickly and then the nicotine fades off. The gum and the patch hit you slowly and hardly deliver any nicotine. But Swedish Snus comes on gradually and much stronger than the gum and the patch, and stay in your body longer than cigarettes and at a much more steady rate.
How much safer than smoking is snus?
Snus has been reported to be up around 98% safer than smoking. Swedish Snus has not been shown to cause any kind of cancer, gum disease or tooth loss. Our Snus & Health section on Snubie.com has a detailed article on Tobacco Harm Reduction, as well as various studies, articles and links to show you just how much safer snus is than smoking.
If snus is safer than smoking, what is the deal with the warning labels?
When Swedish Snus began being sold in the US, the US FDA required the warning labels be placed on snus without any investigation or research done. They were quickly grouped in with other forms of tobacco despite the warning labels being placed on snus being inaccurate. If you check out this article, we explain each warning label and how each one is wrong. General Snus from Swedish Match is currently being evaluated by the FDA for a Modified Risk Tobacco Product Label which would remove the warning labels which are inaccurate. In Sweden, Swedish Snus does not carry these warning labels because the Swedish FDA has found them to not be true. So when you see a warning label on a can of Swedish Snus, just ignore it. The only one that is true is that nicotine is addictive. The rest are lies.
Where do I buy Swedish Snus and how much does it cost?
If you are in the US, you can purchase online or locally. If you check out this article, we explain how and where to buy locally as well as online. We also have a list of e-stores, as well, that you can purchase from.
Snus is cheaper than smoking on average. According to Lung.org, the average price of cigarettes in the US is 5.51$ per pack. In our article on how to buy snus and save money we found that on average Swedish Snus costs anywhere from 3.20$ a can to 8.40$ a can, depending on how you purchase and where you purchase from. Most people use half a day so the daily cost of snus ranges from 1.60$ a day to 4.20$ a day. With most people smoking a pack a day on average, snus is definitely cheaper than smoking.
What snuses should I try?
There are a ton of different brands of Swedish Snus. It is hard to suggest any one product, because everyone has different taste. However I did write this article which has some average suggestions that work for most people.
Where can I talk to other snusers?
I advise anyone who is quitting smoking with snus to join a snus forum. We started GoSmokeless.org in 2011, and it has many members who have quit smoking with snus and are there ready to discuss it with you, as well as share their experiences and input. Talking with other people who have gone through the same process is a great way to find support and input.
For more information, check out our Snus FAQ which is loaded with helpful tips, hints and information!
I created the "Quit Smoking With Snus" video series as a way to provide more information about quitting smoking with snus in video form. They contain a lot of helpful hints and advice for those new to snus who are considering quitting smoking with snus. I hope you find them informative!
As an added bonus to encourage you to quit - the picture below from Cancer.org shows how quickly your body begins to heal, and the health benefits you can enjoy over the following weeks and years after you quit smoking!
