Smokeless Is Not Harmless!

PHOENIX, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — When it comes to tobacco, smokeless doesn’t mean harmless! In fact, smokeless tobacco (snuff, dip and chewing tobacco) can be every bit as dangerous and addictive as lighting up a cigarette.

That’s why it is time to be “Through with Chew!” The Arizona Department of Health Services Tobacco Education and Prevention Program (ADHS TEPP), are taking part in a nationwide, week-long effort Feb. 18-24 to build awareness about the dangers of chew, and to help smokeless tobacco users quit dipping and chewing for good.

A 30-minute dip of smokeless tobacco delivers the same amount of nicotine as smoking approximately three or four cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association adds that smokeless tobacco users dipping or chewing between eight and 10 times a day have a chance of being exposed to as much nicotine as people who smoke 30 to 40 cigarettes a day. Using smokeless tobacco can lead to any of the following health conditions:

   *  Cancer of the mouth and pharynx   *  Leukoplakia (white sores in the mouth that can lead to cancer)   *  Gum recession, or peeling back of gums   *  Bone loss around the teeth, and it   *  May also play a role in cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure.   

And it’s not just the long-term health effects chewers should be concerned about. In the short-term, smokeless tobacco can short circuit your social life thanks to bad breath and stained teeth.

“People think smokeless tobacco is harmless and that is false. Chewing tobacco is a bad habit that can have serious consequences for your health,” said Susan Gerard, ADHS Director. “Tobacco companies are marketing flavored chews now to young people. Kids get lured in by the flavors and then they are hooked on the nicotine. It doesn’t matter how good they make it taste — Tobacco in any form is addicting, dangerous, and potentially deadly.”

ADHS TEPP, together with its partners statewide, provides quit tobacco programs including FREE phone counseling, FREE stop smoking and quitting chew classes and one-on-one counseling, and 50 percent reduced cost vouchers for nicotine patches, gum or lozenges, and prescription Zyban(TM). For more information about resource available if you are ready to quit chewing tobacco, please visit http://www.ashline.org/ or call 1-800-556-6222.

Arizona Department of Health Services

CONTACT: Janey Pearl of ADHS PIO, +1-602-364-1201, or Mary Ehlert,Marketing Director of ADHS TEPP, +1-602-542-0086, or cell, +1-602-540-6897; orCrystal Houston of R&R Partners, +1-480-317-6068, or cell +1-602-741-0391, forthe Arizona Department of Health Services

Web site: http://www.ashline.org/