Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypes of SnuffHealth RisksIs Snuff Safer Than Smoking?History of Snuff UseHow to Stop Using Snuff
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types of Snuff
Health Risks
Is Snuff Safer Than Smoking?
History of Snuff Use
How to Stop Using Snuff
Snuff is a form of smokeless tobacco meant to be inhaled through the nose or chewed, or placed in the mouth to produce saliva. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that snuff carries a lower risk of lung cancer than inhaled tobacco products,smokeless tobacco still has many serious health effects, including an increased risk for mouth cancers, heart disease, stroke, dental problems, and pregnancy complications.
Snuff comes in a “dry” form (for snorting) and a “wet” or “moist” form (chewing or dipping tobacco). Additionally, there is a creamy snuff, which is less popular than the other forms. All deliver nicotine and other hazardous chemicals, so they are all dangerous to use.
At a GlanceSnuff may be smokeless, but it isn’t a safer alternative to cigarettes. All forms of snuff—which can be dry, wet, or creamy—contain nicotine and are addictive. They can also lead to dental and oral problems, cancers of the mouth and throat, heart disease, and pregnancy complications. If you want to stop using snuff or smoking cigarettes, talk to your doctor about using nicotine replacement therapy, prescription medications, and behavioral interventions to help you become tobacco-free.
At a Glance
Snuff may be smokeless, but it isn’t a safer alternative to cigarettes. All forms of snuff—which can be dry, wet, or creamy—contain nicotine and are addictive. They can also lead to dental and oral problems, cancers of the mouth and throat, heart disease, and pregnancy complications. If you want to stop using snuff or smoking cigarettes, talk to your doctor about using nicotine replacement therapy, prescription medications, and behavioral interventions to help you become tobacco-free.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), around 5.2 million U.S. adults use smokeless tobacco products.“Snuff” often refers specifically to dry snuff, but it also comes in other forms.
Dry Snuff
Dry snuff is a powdered tobacco product that involves curing or fermenting selected tobacco leaves, which are then ground down into a fine powder.
Traditional “fine snuff” highlighted the taste of different tobacco blends only, but most of what is sold today has a scent or flavor added as well.
Common flavors include coffee, chocolate, plum, camphor, cinnamon, rose, mint, honey, vanilla, cherry, orange, apricot. Even flavors like whiskey, bourbon, and cola can be found. Most snuff is aged for a period of time to allow the flavors to settle and develop before being sold.
Dry snuff is snorted or sniffed into the nasal cavity, where it sends a hit ofnicotineinto the bloodstream quickly.This action often produces a sneeze, especially in people who are new to the practice.
Wet Snuff
There are a few different kinds of wet or moist snuff. These are placed in the mouth to produce nicotine-laden saliva.
Creamy Snuff
Creamy snuff comprises tobacco paste, clove oil, glycerin, and mint flavorings. It’s used mainly in India to clean teeth. Like any other snuff product, creamy snuff is addictive.
Health Risks of Snuff, Chew, and Dip
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smokeless tobacco products such as snuff pose several significant health risks:
Chronic abuse of dry snuff leads to morphological and functional changes in the nasal mucosa. Users are also exposed to carcinogens in tobacco; snuff may increase the risk of head and neck cancer.
Snuff isn’t a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes. The best choice is to avoid all tobacco products completely.
Snuff has a long history of use. Mayan snuff containers dating to AD 300-900 have been found. Snuff has turned up in numerous cultures and time periods elsewhere in the world, from South America to Spain and other parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. John Rolfe introduced commercially manufactured snuff to North America in the early 1600s.
Today, snuff is still available in smoke shops throughout Europe. It is regulated in the same way as other tobacco products, including age restrictions. In the United States, dry snuff is not popular, so is not as easily obtained. It can be found in specialty smoke shops and online.
While cigarette use has decreased in recent years, the use of smokeless tobacco has not declined.Around 2% of adults in the U.S. are smokeless tobacco users, with men using these products at much higher rates (4.2% of men vs 0.2% of women).Globally, around 4.4% of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 16 use snuff products.
If you want to quit using snuff, some different strategies and resources can help. Options that you can try include:
Takeaways
While snuff might seem like a better choice than smoking, it isn’t any safer than traditional cigarettes. You aren’t inhaling the smoke, but all forms of snuff still contain nicotine and are addictive. They also carry a significant risk for cancer, heart disease, oral health problems, and pregnancy complications.
If you are ready to stop using snuff, talk to your doctor about your options. Nicotine replacement therapy can help you gradually taper your nicotine dose, which can lessen the severity of withdrawal symptoms. You might also find that medications like Chantix and Zyban can help you manage cravings and deal with withdrawal symptoms.
Therapy and social support can also be vital, so consider joining a support group, either in-person or online. It can give you the motivation, support, and encouragement you need to succeed.
What Nicotine Does to Your Body
15 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.FDA authorizes Copenhagen Classic Snuff to be marketed as a modified risk tobacco product.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Smokeless tobacco product use in the United States.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Smokeless tobacco products, including dip, snuff, snus, and chewing tobacco.
University of Utah.Drug delivery methods.
McAdam KG, Kimpton H, Faizi A, Porter A, Rodu B.The composition of contemporary American and Swedish smokeless tobacco products.BMC Chem. 2019;13(1):31. doi:10.1186/s13065-019-0548-0
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Smokeless tobacco: Health effects.
Shaashi Uday H, Pethagounder Thangavelu R, Rajaram Mohan K, Fenn SM, Appusamy K.Evaluation of nicotine dependence among smokeless tobacco users using the Fagerstrom Nicotine Dependence Scale for Smokeless Tobacco.Cureus. 2023;15(5):e38639. doi:10.7759/cureus.38639
Muthukrishnan A, Warnakulasuriya S.Oral health consequences of smokeless tobacco use.Indian J Med Res. 2018;148(1):35–40. doi:10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1793_17
American Cancer Society.Health risks of smokeless tobacco.
Wyss AB, Hashibe M, Lee YA, et al.Smokeless tobacco use and the risk of head and neck cancer: Pooled analysis of US studies in the INHANCE Consortium.Am J Epidemiol. 2016;184(10):703–716. doi:10.1093/aje/kww075
Jethwa AR, Khariwala SS.Tobacco-related carcinogenesis in head and neck cancer.Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2017;36(3):411–423. doi:10.1007/s10555-017-9689-6
IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risk to Humans.Description of Smokeless Tobacco Practices. In: Smokeless Tobacco and Some Tobacco-specific N-Nitrosamines. Lyon (FR): International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2007.
American Lung Association.Health effects of smokeless tobacco products.
Yang H, Ma C, Zhao M, Magnussen CG, Xi B.Prevalence and trend of smokeless tobacco use and its associated factors among adolescents aged 12-16 years in 138 countries/territories, 1999-2019.BMC Med. 2022;20(1):460. doi:10.1186/s12916-022-02662-0
Meet Our Review Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
What is your feedback?
