Mr. Drobny
English 101 Period 4
17 November 2013
"Smokeless" Tobacco "You don 't smoke it. You don 't swallow it. All you do is slosh it around your mouth and spit out the brown juices every few seconds" (Bellenir 79). Let 's explore the topic smokeless tobacco (ST), more commonly known as chewing tobacco, spitting tobacco, chew, snuff, dip, or spit. Smokeless tobacco comes in two forms: chewing tobacco or snuff ("Top Facts: Spit / Smokeless Tobacco"). My curiosity about chewing tobacco was originally about the harmful side effects that this form of tobacco takes on a person. However, as I started to think more about chewing tobacco, I began to wonder what age group is primarily effected by chewing tobacco and how cigarettes compare to smokeless tobacco. To begin, studies …show more content…
The immediate effects consist of bad breath, stained teeth, and around seventy percent of the users report that it causes sores in their mouth (Bellenir 82). This doesn 't seem too bad and can probably be cured by a piece of gum, brushing of the teeth, and some occasional mouth wash, however, the possible long-term effects don 't seem to be so minor and easily fixed. The more serious consequences of smokeless tobacco are cracking of the lips and gums, receding gums which can lead to teeth falling out, increased heart rate and high blood pressure which raise the risk of a heart attack, loss of taste buds, and last but not least, cancer (Bellenir 82). Oral cancer can happen to the lips, the cheeks, the gums, bottom and top of the mouth, and the tongue. But that 's not all the cancer that smokeless tobacco can cause, ST extends in cancerous capabilities to other parts of the body too. It can cause cancer of the stomach, larynx, esophagus, bladder, and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases ("Top Facts: Spit / Smokeless