The colors are bright and eye catching, some items smell and taste sweet and they appeal to young people. The tobacco industry is promoting new products that have the same trademark characteristic as cigarettes and chew. They are addictive and dangerous to anyone’s health.

The marketing of these products seems to be aimed at Montana kids and young adults. With product placement next to candy in convenience stores, candy flavors for each product line, and colorful packaging designed to look like candy and breath mints, Montana youth are vulnerable like never before.

The latest products include tobacco dispensed in oral pouches and dissolvable tobacco (called Snus, Sticks and Orbs), which can be used by kids without adults knowing it. Also available are e-cigarettes, hookahs and snuff. None of these products are safe. They should not be considered a healthy alternative to smoking or chewing tobacco. They all contain nicotine, a potent addictive drug.

SNUS (pronounced "snoose") is a spitless modification of smokeless tobacco.  It is pasteurized, powdered tobacco portioned into small teabag-like pouches.

DRY SNUFF is a tobacco product made of finely ground or pulverized tobacco leaves.  It is inhaled rather than smoked.  It does contain nicotine and can lead to dependency.

DISSOLVABLE TOBACCO PRODUCTS are made from finely milled tobacco and are held together by food-grade binders.  They do not produce smoke, and they do not require spitting.

HOOKAH is a water pipe used to smoke shisha tobacco through cooled water.  The tobacco is heated in the bowl by charcoal at the top of the hookah.  The smoke is then filtered through the water in the base of the hookah before it is inhaled.

SHISHA is a very moist and sticky type of tobacco, usually soaked in honey or molasses.  The tobacco is flavored with fruit, candy, or mint to give off a sweet odor.



As a concerned citizen, you may want to know what you can do in response to the arrival of these products in Montana. Below are some suggestions.

• Continue to be alert and share the knowledge of what is being promoted at local convenience stores. 
• Keep other parents, teachers, and administrators in that loop so that discussions with teens are informed and helpful.
• Recognize that there is no safe tobacco product being promoted or sold commercially, nor is there likely to be. Whether it is labeled new, natural or organic, the problem remains the same: addiction, disease, and the risk of death.
• Know that the FDA desires consumer input on the new project of overseeing tobacco marketing and regulation. The FDA website lists opportunities for comments and suggestions.
• Finally, get involved! Support your local tobacco prevention coalition in public awareness events, positive social change, and youth empowerment.