Prohibited for sale in France, snus is a tobacco that cannot be smoked, presented in the form of wet powder packed in a white sachet. It is placed between the gum and the upper lip and is increasingly consumed by young people with its promotion on social networks.
- Snus comes in the form of a white powder placed in a small sachet. He does not smoke himself, does not chew himself, he sucks himself.
- Once placed between the gum and the upper lip, it releases a continuous nicotine shot and can be left in place for several hours.
- This mode of administration makes the nicotine pass more quickly to the brain, with a risk of dependence in the event of regular consumption.
Coming from Sweden and Switzerland, where its sale is not prohibited, snus seems to meet more and more success with the youngest and not only with smokers. Indeed, more and more videos are turning on social networks about snus, especially on TikTok, sometimes promoting it with tutorials on how to consume it. the #snus is mentioned a billion times, in videos in several languages including French. You can see quite young people there. try for the first time this oral tobacco, which is consumed in the form of powder packed in a white sachet, to be placed between the gum and the upper lip.
Snus: a growing trend among young people
Although this tobacco is, in this form, prohibited for sale in France, it is still quite easily found on the internet via specialized sites or on social networks, such as Snapchat. Snus now competes with electronic cigarettes, puffs or classic cigarettes among younger consumers.
The trend is particularly driven by top athletes, including some footballers like Marcus Thuram. A picture of him with a box resembling those of snus shortly before the start of the World Cup in Qatar had caused a lot of talk on the networks. The stimulation provided by nicotine thanks to snus, without harming their performance as classic cigarettes could do, appeals to athletes, especially winter sports. Packaging as well as strawberry, mint or chocolate flavors are other ways to appeal to a wider audience.
Snus increases the risk of mouth cancer
The problem is that with regular consumption it can cause damage to the gums, with a high risk of gingival retraction. In the long term, teeth may fall out as seen in chewing tobacco users.
Snus could also increase the risk of cancer of the mouth (tongue, throat, lips…), as revealed by scientific reviews in the past, and damage to the pancreas, due to the passage of tobacco through the digestive system. .
Just like the cigarette, the dose of nicotine “quickly becomes addictive”signal thealliance against tobacco. The risk of addiction can then push consumers more easily towards conventional cigarettes. It is also because it is a gateway to smoking that snus has been banned in Europe since 1992, with the exception of Sweden and Switzerland.
Addiction: the many side effects of snus
Not to mention that this heavy nicotine load can be violent for some. In several videos about snus on TikTok, some consumers say they don’t feel well, whether in the image or in the testimonials of the comments. And for good reason: dizziness, headaches, heatstroke, nausea, vomiting… snus can have certain undesirable effects, especially for people who are not used to smoking tobacco. To the point that several illnesses have been reported in establishments in Île-de-France after consuming snus, according to a article of Parisian.
However, like tobacco, one bad experience is not always enough to stop a nicotine addiction, especially when you can use it all day. According to health professionals from Tobacco Info service, a site of the Ministry of Health, you can become addicted to nicotine three times faster with snus than with conventional cigarettes. “Tobacco is deadly in all its forms.”recalls Tobacco Info Service which invites people who wish to wean themselves to contact a tobacco specialist free of charge on 39 89.