What Is Snuss Tobacco
Swedish snuss is a smokeless tobacco (it is also spitless). Snuss has been manufactured in Scandinavia for over 200 years and today, about 25% of the grown male population of Sweden use snuss on a daily basis as an alternative to smoking cigarettes. It consists of moist, ground tobacco which you either form yourself using your finger tips (also called loose snuss or long/fine cut) or it comes in small pouches made of thin fabric (this is called portion snuss which in turn comes in the shapes of white portion, maxi portions, mini portions and strong portion). You then place it under your upper lip and keep it there for the duration of the snuss, which is anywhere from 15 minutes up to one hour. There are a number of brands and various degrees of nicotine strenght. There are also nicotine- and tobacco free brands availible for those who are trying to cut back on their nicotine intake.
Snuss is widely considered to be much less harmful to your health than cigarettes (many swedish atheletes use snuss). Very recently the producers of snuss were allowed to remove the harsh warning labels on the cans and replace them with very low key warnings. While Sweden has a high rate of snuss users, they also have the lowest rate of lung cancer in Europe and among the lowest rates of oral cancer.
In a regulatory sense, snuss is considered a food item and is governed by the same strict laws as food in general. Snuss is to be kept refrigerated to keep its moisture and freshness (it has an expiry date of about three months from being produced).
The nicotine kick from snuss is more even and prolonged than what you get from cigarettes. Where as cigarettes deliver high levels of nicotine initially, the snuss delivers a lower but longer lasting satisfaction. Snuss is therefor a much better alternative than nicotine patches or nicotine gum when you're trying to quit smoking.
With smoking being highly prohibited in many parts of the world, the use of snuss is spreading rapidly. The US market for example, has seen an explosion in new brands and retail stores where you can get snuss. Much thanks to Camel who are doing mass give-aways as part of their huge marketing efforts to get more recognition for snuss.
The largets snuss manufacturers today are Swedish Match (Sweden), Camel (USA), Skoal (USA), Skruf (Sweden) and JTI (Japan). The best selling individual snuss brands are General, Ettan, Catch, Skoal, Camel, Skruf and Copenhagen snus. For user reviews on these brands and many more please check out snuss test.
