Smokers Still Get Their Fix

When we say “quitting smoking,” that implies we mean quitting all forms of tobacco products with nicotine in them. Yet, like many things in life, people always manage to find loopholes, and according to a Harvard study, smokers  are quitting cigarettes while turning to other forms of tobacco to get their fix.

Although cigarette sale rates have dropped 18% from 2000 to 2007, the sales of other tobacco products, such as moist snuff, roll-your-own tobacco and small cigars, have increased. In fact, the upsurge during that time in alternative tobacco products is equivalent to 1.10 billion packs of cigarettes. This could mean that the overall decline in tobacco use is actually a farce.

One theory behind the increase in alternative tobacco products is that cigarette companies are adapting to the revolt against cigarettes by expanding into these lesser-known, smaller markets. Plus, higher prices for cigarettes are causing smokers to fetch their fix elsewhere. Roll-your-own cigarettes, cigars and smokeless tobacco products are generally cheaper than cigarettes. The higher taxes that most states have adopted to prevent smoking have largely missed these products, which is why the researchers recommend equal taxation across all forms of tobacco.

Have you used snuff, roll-your-own cigarettes or cigars in place of branded cigarettes? Are these products cheaper in your state, and do you think they're healthier? [HealthDay]