US Males Consume More Chewing Tobacco

On Thursday, a new federal estimate of tobacco consumption in the US showed that more and more teenage boys, especially in the country's rural areas, used snuff or chewing tobacco, rather than cigarettes. The conclusion of the research, which analyzed the trend for an entire decade, has raised numerous concerns among tobacco control groups, which say that tighter legislation is needed in order to prevent children from getting their hands on the addictive substance.

Using tobacco in this manner does not reduce addiction to the stuff, doctors warn, but rather increases the risk of oral cancer, while the possibility of developing pulmonary cancer is only slightly reduced. Furthermore, chewing or snuffing tobacco can lead to an increased risk of presenting heart conditions, including strokes. What's even more concerning, experts share, is that the young ones may see this way of using the substance as an alternative to mainstream smoking, oblivious of the risks it carries.

“This trend toward more smokeless tobacco use by kids is of great concern. This is an industry that has a history of targeting kids because they know that's when everybody starts,” Danny McGoldrick, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids vice president for research, told Reuters in a telephone interview. The group focuses its efforts on deterring children from picking up this habit, by making them aware of the risks involved and presenting them with alternatives.

From 2002 to 2007, the percentage of  tobacco chewing among teenage boys in America rose from 3.4 to 4.4, a seemingly small increase, but which was enough to prompt concerns over the young ones' future health conditions. Even though they might consider it a personal risk, they will inevitably end up in the hospital, thus joining the millions of other smokers that require assistance for their conditions at least once in their lives. These individuals account for millions of dollars worth of care each year.

It now rests with the Food and Drug Administration to regulate the use and selling of tobacco throughout the country, even though legislation to prevent the stuff being sold to children in the US already exists. However, tighter regulations seem to be in order, advocates for more tobacco control claim.