Student groups ask MPPs for ban against chewing tobacco

A smokeless-tobacco company executive was once quoted as saying, "Cher­ry Skoal is for somebody who likes the taste of candy - if you know what I'm saying ..."
Skoal is a brand of smoke­less tobacco or chew - and the tobacco industry states it does not market to kids. Guelph's SWAT (Students Working Against Tobacco) and Well­ington County's Detox supported National Through With Chew Week (Feb. 18 to 22) with visits to MPPs Liz San­dals and Ted Arnott. They presented over 600 signed postcards advocating a ban on the sale of smokeless to­bacco.  
Another 400 signed post­cards were sent to MPP John Wilkinson from students at Wellington Heights Secondary School in Mount Forest, and Norwell District Secon­dary School in Palmerston.
"Tobacco companies use candy flavours such as cherry, peach, berry, and mint in their chew products which appeal to a youth market," said SWAT peer leader Alyssa Heathfield.  "We want to stop the sale of chew-and-spit tobacco industry products before more youth become addicted."  
Many think using smoke­less tobacco is safer than smok­­ing. The groups stated a lack of  smoke does not mean it is safe.  A person who uses 8 to 10 chews a day receives the same amount of nicotine as a heavy smoker who smokes 30 to 40 cigarettes a day. Smoke­less tobacco is made from a mixture of tobac­co, nicotine, sweeteners, abra­sives, salts, and chemicals. It contains over 3,000 chemicals in­cluding about 28 known can­cer causing substances.
Detox’s Amber Snowe added, "The long-term effects include can­cers of the mouth. You are also more likely to develop cavities, tooth loss, and gum disease."
Heathfield said, "Youth are the next generation of smokers ... What better way to addict youth to nicotine than to intro­duce it in an appealing form."
For more information, visit www.wdghu.org.