Chewing Tobacco Trend Invades London High Schools

Source from:  Mon, January 7, 2008 By JENNI DUNNING, SUN MEDIA 01/08/2008

Dipping, spit, plug, or chew. No matter what you call it, chewing tobacco is a trend invading some London high schools. Ask Steve Powers, 19, a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School who used to chew tobacco. "It's a trend. There's no way around it," he said. "It's the same as smoking." Powers, of London, started chewing tobacco when he was on the junior football team at school. He saw older football players doing it, so he tried it. His first chew made him feel dizzy and sick, he said. But he liked it better than smoking so he took it up during class. "It's way cheaper and it's more convenient," he said. "It's a way around No Smoking signs." Powers doesn't chew tobacco anymore, but he said it's easy for teens to get the product. He bought some while underage, he said, adding he was never asked for ID. People must be 19-years-old to buy chewing tobacco and anyone who looks younger than 25 can be asked for ID. The average package of chewing tobacco costs about $6 compared to about $9 for a package of cigarettes. Chewing tobacco used to be associated with an older generation or spitoon-clinking cowboys. So what's the appeal for today's teenagers? Many students want a quick buzz or they just want to fit in with the trend, said Neil Bhatt, 17, a Grade 12 student at Saunders Secondary School. Bhatt doesn't chew tobacco but said he has seen students at his school doing it. His grandfather used to regularly chew tobacco with no significant health effects. But after learning it contains 3,000 chemicals, such as arsenic and lead, he joined an anti-tobacco group, One Life Crew. It's the London chapter of Youth Action Alliance, which informs youth about the dangers of tobacco and is part of the Middlesex-London Health Unit. Melissa Horan, a youth advisor with the health unit, blames the tobacco industry for the chewing trend. She said it "actively" targets youth by selling chewing tobacco in candy flavours, such as cherry, apple, mint, peach, citrus and berry. These flavours are linked to bigger sales of the product for some convenience stores, said Tom White, owner of a Shell Select. "We never used to sell all these new flavours," said White, whose business is a few blocks away from Oakridge Secondary School and STA. "It's like selling orange pop." About 20 underage youth try to buy chewing tobacco every week there, he said. It's a different story at other locations. The Mini Mart next to Westminister Secondary School gets more requests for cigarettes from minors than for chewing tobacco, said Hyun Lee, an employee. Chewing has been going on for a few years, said Horan. More people are becoming aware of it - mostly because of studies on the topic that show kids as young as 12 have tried chewing tobacco, she said. A 2006/07 survey with Ontario smokers aged 15 to 19 showed 1.7 per cent chewed tobacco in 2003. The number increased to 11.6 per cent in 2005, said Horan. About 3,000 youth completed the survey, which was sponsored by Not to Kids, a group of 27 health units in Ontario. The National Smokeless Tobacco Co., Ltd, which produces Skoal and Bandits brands of chewing tobacco, couldn't be reached for comment. Tobacco companies call the product smokeless tobacco. This one reason why kids get hooked, Horan said. "It's giving the impression that it's smokeless and, therefore, is harmless," she said. But chewing one piece of tobacco for 30 minutes equals four cigarettes, she said. It also contains lead and arsenic, can cause bad breath, and can lead to cavities and oral cancers, said Horan. For the latest local coverage, read The London Free Press on the web or in print. To subscribe to the print edition, click on our subscription page. Enditem