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“There are no safe tobacco products.” – Dr. Matt Carpenter, clinical psychologist & associate professor, Medical University of South Carolina.

Let’s just soak that in for a moment…

Maybe it’s due to increased awareness, the desire for improved health, recent legislation or maybe even just plain old fear but whatever the cause, cigarette sales are down. With smoking becoming an ever-increasing public taboo, big tobacco is struggling to make the same profits they once did when it was lawful and acceptable to light up anywhere. That doesn’t mean that they’re going to just give up though.

It was recently announced that Charlotte, NC will be one of 2 test cities for Camel Orbs, A dissolvable, mint-like, smokeless tobacco product that aims to keep people buying big tobacco goods while allowing folks to get their fix without having to go to designated, outdoor areas far from anyone else to do it. Should they new product test well, you will likely see it in abundance at a convenience store near you.

While dissolvable tobacco products, like orbs, don’t run the risk for lung cancer like cigarettes, they are susceptible to the same risks as chewing tobacco: oral cancers, gum disease and tooth loss. Like all tobacco products, they represent significant risks for pregnant women. Some tobacco users may be enticed by the convenience of the product and not necessarily scared off by the risks but should consider the nicotine content. On average, dissolvable products only contain 25% the nicotine of a cigarette. This means that achieving the same effect of one cigarette requires you to use 4 times as many dissolvable products – vastly increasing the user’s risk of the aforementioned oral cancers, gum disease and tooth loss.

According to Mary Gotaas, tobacco analyst for IBISworld.com, American sales of cigarettes drop 3 to 4 percent every year, but smokeless sales increase by 3% each year. With legislation making public smoking harder and harder, Gotaas expect smokeless sales to rise by as much as 7% this year.

Most smokeless tobacco buyers intend to use the products as quitting aids but studies have yet show any strong correlation between smokeless tobacco use and quitting. Doctors still urge smokers to use tested and proven medical methods to quit, such as nicotine replacement pills and patches.

Good luck Charlotte, stay strong.

Fighting tobacco usage is a non-stop battle. With something as pervasively addicting and easily accessible as tobacco (nicotine), achieving a reduction in usage requires us to never let our guards down. After years upon years of fighting, we’re finally starting to see some return on investment.

California recently announced that the state had reduced its smoking rate among adults to below 12% making it the second state to reach the federal goal of reducing smoking rates to 12% by 2020. Utah was the first.

The state of California predicts that the reduction will save 1 million lives and $86 billion in health care costs. The state directly credits the reduction to aggressive anti-smoking campaigning all over the state. Which proves that anti-tobacco campaigns are effective if people have enough exposure to them. Paired with increases in both tax and price, the impact is double effective: campaigns provide a reason why not, while price increases provide financial unease. California has also reaped the benefit of legislative progression, being one of the states with the most public smoking constraints.

Today 1 in 5 Americans still smoke and numbers are higher among men than women. With 48 states still working towards their 12% goal, California shows that there is hope. What’s more, studies in CA have proven that the most dramatic decrease in tobacco users happened among the 25 to 44 age group, suggesting that campaigns aimed toward young adults are most effective.