For some, chewing tobacco seems to be a tactile, sensory experience.
“I almost find it relaxing to snap my tin and dip after a long day at school. When I feel the need to relax it seems to comfort me,” said a Grade 11 student at Bawlf, Alta.
“After a hard day at school it’s soothing to bring out the tin and put a pinch in the lip.”
The student, who didn’t want to be identified because his parents don’t know he chews, is not alone. A recent study showed Alberta’s youth are using chewing tobacco and snuff at rates that are more than double the national average.
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One in five Alberta youths age 10-19 have used chewing tobacco, compared with only one in 12 youths across Canada. And seven percent of Alberta youths aged 10-19 have used snuff, compared with three percent nationally.
The Alberta information was complied from a national survey of youth smoking conducted in 1994 by Statistics Canada. The Alberta data has only recently been released.
“While this data is alarming, it confirms widely held beliefs that the use of spit tobacco is a significant problem among Alberta youth,” said Cathy Good, director of health initiatives for the Alberta Lung Association.
“This is the first confirmation of the scope of the problem in Alberta and we need to focus our efforts on preventing young people from becoming addicted to this potentially lethal product.
“Smokeless should not imply harmless when referring to spit tobacco.”
The Bawlf student said he switched from cigarettes to snuff after he realized he couldn’t combine athletics and smoking.
No clogged chest
“With chewing you don’t have your chest clogged up.” He may have started using Copenhagen because of athletics, but he admits he continues because many of his friends chew.
“A lot of my friends do it, and my cousin. If most of my friends quit I’d probably quit too.”
The study cited peer pressure, ‘coolness’ and popularity as the top three reasons why people start to smoke.
It showed results for youth smoking in Alberta were consistent with the national average.
The student admitted chewing snuff is part of the cowboy culture he’s involved in.
“You see all the big guys doing it and you want to look good so you do it too.” But he said rodeo isn’t the only sport associated with smokeless tobacco. He estimated eight out of 10 hockey players dip snuff.
“You walk into a dressing room and there’s all these empty tins. You can’t smoke when you play.”
