Study: Snuff Causes Nicotine Dependence Like Smoking

Tobacco companies are promoting use of snuff and other smokeless tobacco products as an alternative to smoking, but new research shows that snuff users are just as addicted to nicotine as smokers, Reuters reported Feb. 25.

Swedish researchers who studied teen smokers and snuff users found that 80 percent of those who only used snuff felt addicted to nicotine, compared to 70 percent of those who only smoked and 90 percent of those who smoked and used snuff.

Snuff users and smokers also experienced similar withdrawal symptoms when they tried to quit, and those who used both types of tobacco were especially prone to withdrawal symptoms like craving, restlessness, and having trouble concentrating, the study found.

The authors said the findings show that “smokeless tobacco in adolescence has a potential to induce nicotine dependence which is at least as high as for cigarette smoking.”

The research was published online in the journal Addiction.