Reynolds to market Snus as an option for people quitting smoking

[GoVegan]

I think the problem is that snus should be crafted in a traditional way and with pride. I can taste that in Swedish snus. The American tobacco companies could care less about tradition and just want to find a way to make snus as cheaply as possible hence the microwave. The list of ingredients that are used to make cigarettes is appalling. I have a feeling snus will be that way if given a chance.

[rickcharles606]

So... They use a microwave to heat it? I'm not sure that bothers me. Microwave pasteurization is really pretty common - and no more dangerous then microwaving at home.

How common is it in the tobacco industry, I may be wrong but I don't think Swedish snus pasteurization vessels are scaled up microwave. Or are they?

[rickcharles606]

It's probably not that common. Patents have to be novel - maybe this is part of their novelty.

Steam pasteurization isn't really that common in the tobacco industry either though is it? At some point, flu curing was probably the "traditional" way to cure tobacco.

Progress isn't a bad thing. Unless the end-product sucks. Then it's time to back-track.

Guess I should have said snus industry instead of tobacco industry, because typical "curing" is flue for most other types of tobacco products. Regarding RJR's progress...I'm pretty sure they're backtracking now by reformulating their products, and a new direction with their marketing.

[GoVegan]

You wouldn't believe this ad I got for Camel snus in the mail. It was a tri fold color ad on very heavy card stock that was laminated and has 2 coupons attached on the bottom. There are even little tabs to activate so you can smell the different types available. They must have spent a pretty penny sending those out.

[GoVegan]

I hear what you're saying, but at the same time there is room in the world for Miller Lite (insert crap mass-produced beer here) and Sam Adams (insert fancy specialty small batch beer here)... I don't see this as any different.

Yes but you don't see Miller Lite trying to ban the sale of Sam Adams. The tobacco PACT Act was sponsored by huge tobacco companies. I believe that by sponsoring this legislation they were trying to stifle competition from Sweden. I do not think for a second, that the American tobacco companies think there is room in the American market for everyone. I also feel bad for the American tobacco companies as they have made sizable investments in snus and I really do want to see them make a decent product. They do have to perform a delicate balancing act though as cigarettes are still their number one money maker.

[dreed2]

I don't buy into that line of thinking, no pun intended..lol

Here's an interesting link that I recently found. To me, it appears to be the application for patent by RJR for Camel SNUS. Under the second tab, about a 1/4 of the way down the page it outlines the "pasteurization" process they use. Check it out...interesting

http://v3.espacenet.com/publicationD...C&locale=en_EP

OMG, they use Neotame as a sweetener! Formaldehyde! Yuck!

[CoderGuy]

OMG, they use Neotame as a sweetener! Formaldehyde! Yuck!

Makes sense, preserve the body so RJR snusers appear to live longer and don't age, boost sales.

[dreed2]

The unofficial history of Neotame:

"In 1993, a former Monsanto scientist was working at a secret army chemical weapons plant when there was accidental release of a newly-developed chemical weapon, neotox-II. After the alarm sounded, other workers ran to the decontamination room. But this man, having learned at Monsanto that chemicals are not something to be afraid of, stood his ground. On the middle finger of his left hand, there had accummulated a tiny amount of neotox-II.

He put his finger up to his nose to thoroughly investigate this new chemical. It made him intensely nauseous, but there was also a very strong sweet smell. Believing that sweet means safe, no matter how toxic, he licked his finger. Neotox-II was incredibly sweet! The nausea became intense and his body began to convulse. He didn't seem to care, belting out, "I have found it! I have found it!" at the top of his lungs.

When he was released from the army hospital three weeks later, he knew what he had to do. He placed a call to several Monsanto/NutraSweet executives telling them about the discovery. He had no concern about divulging military secrets as he knew that these Monsanto executives would have no trouble convincing government officials to give the patent and use of neotox-II to Monsanto. "After all," he reminded himself, "Monsanto executives have had so many official government positions, we essentially run the government!"

Putting together safety data for the FDA was not a serious challenge. The mixture of neotox-II with standard Monsanto fairy dust, led to the production of volumes of safety data. The fairy dust did not change the chemical structure of neotox-II, but did cause a name change to "neotame".

All links between neotame and neotox-II were destroyed...except two. Instead of presenting the aspartame-blinded Mr. Magoo as the sweetener symbol, the symbol of neotame is a picture of the back of the left hand of the former Monsanto scientist -- holding up the finger where neotox-II was found and offering it to the world.

The only other link to neotox-II is a secret Monsanto source who is relaying this story."

[CoderGuy]

Lol lmoa

[rickcharles606]

PACT was all about the Seneca in New York (tax money) and the Convenience Store lobby (unfair competition and tax money). Any sponsorship by tobacco companies was directed at taking out the indian produced and foreign cigarette brands.

+1

The large cigarette companies feel as if the indian nations have an unfair advantage due to their tax free status, and the convenient stores and tobacco stores absolutely HATE online vendors of tobacco because they have in the past skirted U.S. tax laws, etc. Both sides supported PACT very strongly because they wanted to squelch these other two outlets, leaving only themselves. Snus is only a blip on the radar (big picture) right now, but as smoking regulation and social stigma increase for smokers snus will become a more dominant player. Big tobacco insiders, retailers and wholesalers across the U.S. believe this to be true, and that's a good thing for those of us that love Swedish snus, but it also puts our beloved snus directly in the crosshairs of the FDA and other anti-alltobacco zealots.

[Crow]

From the 'American Council on Science and Health':

Camel Snus Ads Tell Smokers to Switch

As many smokers are attempting to fulfill a New Year’s resolution to finally nip their cigarette habit in the bud, leading cigarette manufacturer R.J. Reynolds is launching its first campaign specifically aimed at encouraging smokers to switch to its Camel Snus brand of smokeless tobacco. Unlike many smokeless tobacco ads, which seem to suggest that consumers may wish to engage in dual use of smokeless tobacco with cigarettes in order to obtain a nicotine fix when or where smoking is forbidden, this “take the pleasure to switch” campaign marks the first attempt by a large U.S. tobacco company to convince smokers to substitute cigarettes with a smokeless alternative.

ACSH’s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan welcomes the campaign as a much needed harm-reduction approach. “Reynolds has entered new territory. It’s very aggressive, and I think it is wonderful that they’re doing it.” Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids president Matt Myers, however, vehemently objects, claiming that the ads represent an “insidious marketing of tobacco products in ways that seek to discourage smokers from quitting and keep them hooked on nicotine.”

While kicking the smoking habit altogether is the best solution, says ACSH’s Dr. Gilbert Ross, quitting indefinitely can be very difficult and “nothing in these ads discourages smokers from quitting.” In a commentary published in the Winston-Salem Journal in response to Mr. Myers’ comments, Dr. Ross points out the need for effective harm-reduction policies:

The solution to the harm reduction problem would be simple, if the law was straightforward about reduced-risk tobacco products. But as is often the case, the so-called Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act raises the bar for communicating truthful information about the relative risks of various tobacco products to those most in need of it: addicted adult smokers, 45 million strong. Tobacco companies are specifically forbidden to tell them that snus is both much safer than smoking and much more effective at assisting smokers to quit...the approved methods are abysmally ineffective. But only we in public health can try to make this known--the tobacco companies are forbidden, and the big nonprofits and the official government agencies are willfully blind to these facts. Their deceptions and half-truths allow smokers to keep on smoking, and result in many thousands of preventable deaths...and for what reason?

Reynolds makes a small, good step in the right direction by actually advising smokers to switch to smokeless rather than insinuate dual use with vague ads.

http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsI...ews_detail.asp

[Joe234]

For example, a study of smokers ages 18 to 70 — released in November by the Tobacco Use Research Center of the University of Minnesota — found that "quit rates for Camel Snus were comparable to those obtained with nicotine replacement therapy."


Not surprising considering there's no substantial nicotine in Camel Snus.
Once you are on it you've already gone through the withdrawal.