Surveillance of Smokeless Tobacco Products Sold in Massachusetts (1997-2010)

Audience:

State evaluation and surveillance staff, FDA/federal programs overseeing tobacco industry product disclosure, policy-makers determining disclosure laws, and youth smoking prevention program officials.

Key Points:

Data on nicotine levels and design features (e.g., pH, total nicotine content, tobacco leaf cut and flavor) of smokeless tobacco products were obtained from manufacturers’ annual reports to the Massachusetts (MA) Department of Public Health between 1997 and 2010. Design features, levels of and temporal trends in free nicotine contents of these products were analyzed overall and by manufacturer and product type. Key findings include:

• All smokeless tobacco products contain nicotine.
• Mean free nicotine is higher in snus compared to moist snuff, and is increasing over time.
• Levels and temporal trends in mean free nicotine varied by manufacture, brand, and design characteristic.
• Nicotine levels from very recent smokeless products, new to the marketplace, is unknown.
• Data does not support the “harm reduction” argument in favor of using smokeless products to facilitate smoking cessation.

Educational Experience:

Audience will learn the current status of and trends in smokeless tobacco products in the market, and their implications to tobacco product surveillance and youth smoking prevention. Audience will be inspired to consider their support of full disclosure of smokeless tobacco testing results.

Benefits:

The audience will learn of the trend in smokeless use over time, as well as gain knowledge about the nicotine levels in smokeless tobacco products by manufacturer.