Released by the Florida Department of Health …
Washington County, FL. –Through With Chew Week in Washington County, February 16th– 22nd, is encouraging smokeless tobacco users to set a quit date. Each year, Through With Chew Week raises awareness about the dangers of smokeless tobacco use (chew, dip and snus) and the effective tools available to quit.
Washington County Tobacco Free Partnership member Milton Brown stated that “we need to continue to raise awareness of smokeless tobacco dangers to our youth. The more we educate the youth, the more they begin to realize the dangers and in turn educate their peers”.
Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) Coordinator, Brittney Sanders says “the youth are key members of our community and they deserve to be made aware of the dangers of smokeless products and all tobacco products”.
Smokeless tobacco is not harmless and can lead to nicotine addiction.[i] Smokeless tobacco causes cancer of the mouth, esophagus and pancreas, as well as increased risk of death from heart disease or stroke.[ii],[iii] Smokeless tobacco can cause white or gray patches inside the mouth (leukoplakia) that can lead to cancer.[iv] It can also cause gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss. [v],[vi]
For this Through With Chew Week, Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT) members will set up a table at each Washington County School during lunch. At each table will be SWAT applications to recruit new members. Along with recruiting new members, current SWAT members will be demonstrating a presentation where they will be making spit tobacco so that their peers can see how Big Tobacco makes their chewing tobacco. The purpose of the demonstration is to show the youth that Big Tobacco are using deadly chemicals when making their tobacco products. The youth will see first-hand the different chemicals they are putting into their bodies.
Those looking to quit tobacco can create a personalized quit plan using Tobacco Free Florida’s free Quit Your Way tools and services. The Quit Your Way program offers free tools and services like Phone Quit, Group Quit and Web Quit, in addition to individual tools like text support, a Quit Guide and helpful emails. Free nicotine replacement therapy – nicotine patches, gum or lozenges – are available to tobacco users who are 18 or older, if medically appropriate.For more information on quitting tobacco, you can call 1-877-U-CAN-NOW (1-877-822-6669) or visit tobaccofreeflorida.com/quityourway.
[i] Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts and Figures 2010.
[ii] World Health Organization. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Volume 89: Smokeless Tobacco and Some Tobacco-Specific N-Nitrosamines. Lyon (France): World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2007 [accessed 2019 Oct 31].
[iii] Piano MR, Benowitz NL, Fitzgerald GA, Corbridge S, Heath J, Hahn E, et al. Impact of Smokeless Tobacco Products on Cardiovascular Disease: Implications for Policy, Prevention, and Treatment: A Policy Statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2010;122(15):1520–44.
[iv] World Health Organization. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Volume 89: Smokeless Tobacco and Some Tobacco-Specific N-Nitrosaminespdf iconexternal icon. Lyon (France): World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2007
[v] World Health Organization. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. Volume 89: Smokeless Tobacco and Some Tobacco-Specific N-Nitrosaminespdf iconexternal icon. Lyon (France): World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 2007
[vi] Piano MR, Benowitz NL, Fitzgerald GA, Corbridge S, Heath J, Hahn E, et al. Impact of Smokeless Tobacco Products on Cardiovascular Disease: Implications for Policy, Prevention, and Treatment: A Policy Statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2010;122(15):1520–44