In 1560, Jean Nicot de Villemain, the French ambassador of Portugal, became infatuated with an imported South American plant that the locals used for medicinal purposes.
He hastily dispatched a container filled with its pungent leaves and seeds to the queen mother of France to alleviate her migraines and to curry noble favour. Thereafter, the plant was christened Nicotiana tabacum, and ever since, the parts of the tobacco plant have been used in all manners by people across the globe.
Humans have always been seekers of anything that alters living in total reality. A hit of nicotine brings about a surge of endorphins and dopamine, which induces a temporary feeling of relaxation, stress relief and pain reduction. It’s this pathway that lures us into the addiction cycle.
Snus oral pouches are the latest nicotine trend bringing a buzz to people’s lives. These miniature tea bag-like sacks are filled with powdered tobacco, flavourings, salt and preserving agents, and they’re used by pushing them under the lip onto the gum.
The appeal of snus comes from being more discreet than puffing on a vape or cigarette. The endorsement comes from high-profile Premier League footballers. The hope is that they are ‘healthier’ than smoking tobacco - but are they?
The big plus of using snus pouches is that the lungs take less battering from smoke; the research shows that snus is not a risk factor in the development of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, pancreatic cancer or oral cancer. In that sense, the oral pouches are less damaging.
While there have been incidents of ulcers and receding gums in snus users, the ulcerated areas tend to heal up when the pouch use is stopped, while gum recession is permanent.
Nonetheless, too much nicotine or artificial additives (the flavourings and preservatives) have the potential to cause long-term harm.
Continual use of any nicotine substance can lead to nicotine poisoning and snus use has been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, oesophageal cancer and pre-term birth.
Classically, nicotine disrupts the bacterial balance in the mouth, which exacerbates gum disease – cannonballing people towards the day when their teeth fall out.
Overall, the pouches appear to be better than smoking. However, keep in mind that this notion often changes as more studies are carried out.
