Oregon Research Institute

Evaluation of Oral Tobacco as a Harm Reduction Method for Smokers

In this subcontract with the University of Minnesota, investigators are examining the palatability and preference among cigarette smokers of various oral non-combustible tobacco products and whether the products could be used as cessation aids.

Details

Some public health researchers believe that switching smokers to oral tobacco would lead to a significant reduction in mortality and morbidity and point to data showing significantly less health risk with smokeless tobacco use compared to cigarette smoking. There has been little research conducted using oral non-combusted tobacco products as a means of reducing harm in cigarette smokers. Severson and his colleagues at the University of Minnesota are examining if smokers find oral tobacco products palatable as a cessation aid, the toxicity of these products compared to cigarettes, and whether or not the use of these products will result in significant smoking cessation rates, compared to FDA-approved cessation products.