‘Lemon ice,’ ‘mint with raspberry,’ or ‘strawberry-watermelon’ — it sounds like an assortment of sweets. In fact, these are the flavours of nicotine snus, or pouches — a new form of nicotine addiction that is being actively promoted by the tobacco industry.
As explained by the Ukrainian Public Health Centre, snus are small pouches containing a cellulose mixture, nicotine and flavourings. When they come into contact with saliva, they release nicotine, which quickly enters the bloodstream through the mucous membrane. Due to the high alkalinity of the composition, the effect of snus is more intense than that of smoking cigarettes, and addiction develops much faster.
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One pouch can contain 20 times more nicotine than a cigarette. While Ukrainian law limits the nicotine content in cigarettes to 1 mg, there are no such restrictions for nicotine pouches. Some manufacturers declare 4 to 20 mg of nicotine, and sometimes even more.
Experts emphasise that nicotine is a psychoactive substance that destroys the brain, heart and the entire body, regardless of the form of use. Replacing cigarettes with snus is not a way to get rid of addiction, but only creates an illusion of safety, which is supported by the marketing manipulations of manufacturers.
On the website ‘I’m quitting smoking,’ you can find advice from doctors, take tests to determine your level of addiction, and learn about effective methods for quitting nicotine.
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