Trick or Treat: Camel Sticks

Sticks are another new product the Tobacco Industry is introducing as one that you can "Enjoy Anywhere. Anytime. Anyplace."
(As a writer, the grammar of that catchphrase drives me nuts, but that's perhaps beside the point.)

These Sticks are finely milled tobacco twisted into a stick form about the size of a tooth pick. The tobacco is also mixed with sweetener and flavor and of course nicotine is present too. They last a little bit longer than the Orbs do, 20 - 30 minutes total. Each Stick is placed in between the inside of one's cheek and their gum and the packaging directs you to "let each Stick dissolve completely in your mouth." The Sticks come with directions on how to use them, including how to get them out of the package.

While some argue Sticks, and other OTPs, can be used in place of cigarettes and will reduce harm to the user, I encourage you to look back at the CDC's claims that smokeless tobacco products are NOT a safe alternative to smoking and that smokeless tobacco products are a significant health risk. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids references a 2008 study from the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer which found, "smokeless tobacco users have an 80 percent higher risk of developing oral cancer and a 60 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic and esophageal cancer." The Smokeless Tobacco Outreach and Prevention Guide referenced in a Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids fact sheet says, "constant exposure to tobacco juice causes cancer of the esophagus, pharynx, larynx, stomach and pancreas." These numbers are in comparison to those of non-users.

You will also see right on the Sticks container, "WARNING: THIS PRODUCT IS NOT A SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO CIGARETTES."

It's just a new kind of "cancer stick."
Nice trick.