Gave my Mom (nonsmoker) a Snus

[SnusNoob]

She got violently sick and threw up multiple times over a two hour period.

What the hell? Is the nicotine delivery in a single snus that much greater than a single cigarette? She said that whenever she smoked two cigarettes in a row, when she was younger, she would throw up; but never from a single cigarette.

She is now opposed to trying snuff because of that experience.

She had a headache and I figured: "Now is the time to show her snus" due to the use of nicotine as a migraine medication in the old days. She later said that her headache indeed went away, but at the replacement of a stomache ache, and that she preferred the former to throwing up, of course.

[OregonNative]

I was never a smoker, so I can't speak for other smokers, but my understanding is snus delivers a larger amount of nicotine into the blood than a cigarette (by far).

What snus did you give her? I hope it wasn't Thunder/Oden's! If you want her to get started on snus, try some mini portions. Even regular portions have 8mg nicotine (doubt all of this is absorbed, but it's much higher than a cigarette which averages 0.8-1.1mg of nicotine).

*EDIT*
I looked it up, and it seems like 10-15% of nicotine is absorbed from snus. It would all depend on how much nicotine is being absorbed from a cigarette, but maybe it's the release of nicotine into the blood at consistant levels that is just to much for her. Check out this link.

http://www.snuson.com/forum/showthre...bed-from-snus-!

[SnusNoob]

Thanks. She tried General Mint.

[OregonNative]

Thanks. She tried General Mint.

That's an original portion 8mg, so give or take 10-15% of that is 0.8-1.2mg of nicotine, when compared to a cigarette it's not terribly different. I would assume she felt sick because of how it was absorbed, rather than the levels. Maybe wait for someone more informed on the subject to chime in.

If she isn't a smoker, and isn't used to having nicotine in her body, it can cause her to be nauseous. My girlfriend tried snus one time, and ended up throwing up multiple times and feeling like crap for the rest of the day. She isn't a smoker, snusser, and uses no form of nicotine, so it was something that threw her body out of balance.

[Voldoom]

Nicotine is a poison, those who aren't tolerant to it's affects will get ill. Snus is a lot different than a cigarette, "the amount of nicotine actually delivered to the smoker is determined to a greater extent by the way the cigarette is smoked rather than the actual nicotine content of the cigarette; the delivered amount can vary between .3mg and 3.2 mg per cigarette" (Benowitz and Henningfield, 1994). Whereas, the smoker can control the amount of nicotine absorbed via different techniques of inhalation, the snuser has less control of the amount of nicotine absorbed making it easier to get sick.

[snusjus]

If someone is not addicted to nicotine, I view it as unethical to give them snus. Why encourage someone to become addicted to a drug that costs hundreds (or thousands) of dollars per year to maintain?

[tattooer601]

Possibly to remedy a illness, or ailment...

[Ansel]

If someone is not addicted to nicotine, I view it as unethical to give them snus. Why encourage someone to become addicted to a drug that costs hundreds (or thousands) of dollars per year to maintain?

This

[Zimobog]

If it was consentual and between two adults it doesn't concern me at all.

[halocog]

If it was consentual and between two adults it doesn't concern me at all.

This is the way I tend to view it. However, with my recent financial woes...I'd make sure I informed them they're about to start a very expensive habit.

[Zimobog]

I'd go further and say the burden of finding out the risks/benefits of a product are on the person purchasing it. If there is no fraud or misreperesntation than the choice is entirely up to the person doing the purchasing.

[Ansel]

If it was consentual and between two adults it doesn't concern me at all.

lol

[Ansel]

Personally i only would recommend snus to smokers and ex-smokers. Especially heavy smokers. But wouldn't dream of introducing it to someone who didn't even ever smoke.

[Zimobog]

lol

Yeah, I know. That didn't sound right. Sorry, SnusNoob I didn't mean it that way!

[lxskllr]

I have no issues with giving non-users tobacco. As long as they know what it is, I figure they can make up their own minds.