Further Review: Hey, baseball, time to quit the spit
By Steve Hummer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Letter: Time for state to update, increase tobacco taxes
The state of North Dakota just recently unveiled newly designed license plates that will be used and distributed over the coming months/years.
The total cost to the taxpayers of North Dakota for this update was $7 million. The last time the license plate was changed was more than two decades ago.
During the 2013 legislative session, North Dakota lawmakers also passed a bill that increased fees for many hunting and fishing licenses. This legislation passed with overwhelming support from legislators, hunters and anglers. This was the first comprehensive license fee adjustment in nearly two decades.
Do you know what else in our state hasn’t been updated in the last two decades? The cost of tobacco products. One of the best ways to prevent young people from ever entering a life of addiction to tobacco —something nearly everyone (except the tobacco industry, of course) can agree is a good thing —is to make the product more expensive.
Does the North Dakota Legislature agree that our state’s tobacco tax of 44 cents per pack —the 46th lowest in the nation —is also outdated?
The effects of North Dakotans’ tobacco use also impacts the wallets of those who don’t use tobacco. North Dakota’s annual health care costs directly caused by smoking is $326 million. The portion covered by state Medicaid is $47 million.
As the price of tobacco increases, more people quit and fewer young people start the addiction.
If it was time to update our state’s license plates to the tune of $7 million and raise the fees on hunting and fishing at the expense of the taxpayers, I think it’s time to engage in the long-overdue discussion about the costs of cheap tobacco to the health of our state.
Jay Taylor, Durbin
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/content/letter-time-state-update-increase-tobacco-taxes
Increasing popularity of smokeless tobacco poses cancer risk to young men
By Amanda Woerner, FoxNews.com
Though rates of cigarette smoking in America continue to decline, smokeless tobacco use remains popular, especially among young men — and with potentially dangerous health consequences.
A recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that the use of smokeless tobacco among workers in the U.S. has held steady since 2005 – with rates of smokeless tobacco use being highest among males ages 25 – 44.
“In recent years there have been declines in cigarette smoking, but there’s really other tobacco products making up a large proportion of tobacco use in certain populations,” Brian King, scientific advisor at the CDC’s office of smoking and health, and lead author of the study, told FoxNews.com.
The dangers of smokeless tobacco use recently entered the national spotlight after the death of baseball hall-of-fame player Tony Gwynn, who died of salivary gland cancer after spending years dipping tobacco on the field.
According to the CDC, more than 30,000 people in the U.S are diagnosed with oral cancer every year. And every year, over 8,000 die of the disease, which has only a 50 percent five-year survival rate. A 2008 study from the World Health Organization indicated that smokeless tobacco users have an 80 percent greater chance of developing oral cancer than a non-user.
“Smokeless tobacco is a proven cause of oral cancer, including of the lips, throat and lining of the cheeks,” King said. “…With combustible tobacco the primary cancer is lung because people are inhaling, but with smokeless use, it’s primarily in the oral region, [which is] why we’re seeing a lot of cancers associated with smokeless tobacco around the oral cavity.”
In addition to being deadly, oral cancers often have devastating effects on a person’s appearance, as surgeries to remove cancerous lesions often require removal of portions of the face. Smokeless tobacco has also been associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer and heart disease.
The CDC’s study utilized data from the National Health Interview Survey to compare rates of smokeless tobacco use in 2005 and 2010. In 2005, 2.7 percent of U.S. workers admitted to using smokeless tobacco, compared to 3 percent in 2010.
“In terms of major findings, it primarily is that we haven’t seen any change, so that is concerning to us because obviously we’d like to see it decline over time,” King said. “So that finding is potentially a useful tool to inform strategies to start to address all forms of tobacco use, not just cigarette smoking.”
Another recent study by the CDC indicated that 2.6 percent of the population uses smokeless tobacco on some days, or every day, while 9.6 percent admitted ever having used these products, according to data from the 2012-2013 National Adult Tobacco Survey.
King said a lack of research on the effects of smokeless tobacco, combined with fewer public health initiatives geared towards this form of tobacco use, may be contributing to the steady use of these products in the U.S.
“A lot of campaigns and interventions have focused on combustible tobacco, and smoke-free policies have proliferated,” King said. “But all forms of smokeless tobacco use are really permitted in a lot of areas.”
Furthermore, loopholes in laws regulating cigarette use allow smokeless tobacco to be more accessible – and cheaper to the majority of the population.
“Cigarettes are taxed pretty uniformly in every state, but in most cases smokeless tobacco is taxed considerably lower than cigarettes in most states,” King said. “And we know increasing price is the single most effective way to reduce consumption, so the fact that these are available cheaper obviously increases the potential for people to use them.”
As the CDC continues to monitor the growing landscape of nicotine and tobacco products, they also have an eye on new products coming to the marketplace – including spit-less smokeless tobacco, tobacco sticks, orbs and strips and tobacco products featuring kid-friendly flavors.
While evidence is still emerging on the ill effects of smokeless tobacco, and how to curb its use, one thing is certain: quitting will benefit your health.
“Given the adverse health effects associated with smokeless tobacco, quitting is beneficial and since we know there’s no safe form of tobacco, if you were to quit completely that would considerably improve your health and potential for future disease and death,” King said. “There are a lot of evidence-based treatments to help people quit, and those are same as for cigarettes. The FDA has also approved seven medications including nicotine replacement therapy, and those can be used for smokeless tobacco as well.”
Increasing popularity of smokeless tobacco poses cancer risk to young men
By Amanda Woerner, FOXNews.com
Though rates of cigarette smoking in America continue to decline, smokeless tobacco use remains popular, especially among young men — and with potentially dangerous health consequences.
A recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that the use of smokeless tobacco among workers in the U.S. has held steady since 2005 – with rates of smokeless tobacco use being highest among males ages 25 – 44.
“In recent years there have been declines in cigarette smoking, but there’s really other tobacco products making up a large proportion of tobacco use in certain populations,” Brian King, scientific advisor at the CDC’s office of smoking and health, and lead author of the study, told FoxNews.com.
The dangers of smokeless tobacco use recently entered the national spotlight after the death of baseball hall-of-fame player Tony Gwynn, who died of salivary gland cancer after spending years dipping tobacco on the field.
According to the CDC, more than 30,000 people in the U.S are diagnosed with oral cancer every year. And every year, over 8,000 die of the disease, which has only a 50 percent five-year survival rate. A 2008 study from the World Health Organization indicated that smokeless tobacco users have an 80 percent greater chance of developing oral cancer than a non-user.
“Smokeless tobacco is a proven cause of oral cancer, including of the lips, throat and lining of the cheeks,” King said. “…With combustible tobacco the primary cancer is lung because people are inhaling, but with smokeless use, it’s primarily in the oral region, [which is] why we’re seeing a lot of cancers associated with smokeless tobacco around the oral cavity.”
In addition to being deadly, oral cancers often have devastating effects on a person’s appearance, as surgeries to remove cancerous lesions often require removal of portions of the face. Smokeless tobacco has also been associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer and heart disease.
The CDC’s study utilized data from the National Health Interview Survey to compare rates of smokeless tobacco use in 2005 and 2010. In 2005, 2.7 percent of U.S. workers admitted to using smokeless tobacco, compared to 3 percent in 2010.
“In terms of major findings, it primarily is that we haven’t seen any change, so that is concerning to us because obviously we’d like to see it decline over time,” King said. “So that finding is potentially a useful tool to inform strategies to start to address all forms of tobacco use, not just cigarette smoking.”
Another recent study by the CDC indicated that 2.6 percent of the population uses smokeless tobacco on some days, or every day, while 9.6 percent admitted ever having used these products, according to data from the 2012-2013 National Adult Tobacco Survey.
King said a lack of research on the effects of smokeless tobacco, combined with fewer public health initiatives geared towards this form of tobacco use, may be contributing to the steady use of these products in the U.S.
“A lot of campaigns and interventions have focused on combustible tobacco, and smoke-free policies have proliferated,” King said. “But all forms of smokeless tobacco use are really permitted in a lot of areas.”
Furthermore, loopholes in laws regulating cigarette use allow smokeless tobacco to be more accessible – and cheaper to the majority of the population.
“Cigarettes are taxed pretty uniformly in every state, but in most cases smokeless tobacco is taxed considerably lower than cigarettes in most states,” King said. “And we know increasing price is the single most effective way to reduce consumption, so the fact that these are available cheaper obviously increases the potential for people to use them.”
As the CDC continues to monitor the growing landscape of nicotine and tobacco products, they also have an eye on new products coming to the marketplace – including spit-less smokeless tobacco, tobacco sticks, orbs and strips and tobacco products featuring kid-friendly flavors.
While evidence is still emerging on the ill effects of smokeless tobacco, and how to curb its use, one thing is certain: quitting will benefit your health.
“Given the adverse health effects associated with smokeless tobacco, quitting is beneficial and since we know there’s no safe form of tobacco, if you were to quit completely that would considerably improve your health and potential for future disease and death,” King said. “There are a lot of evidence-based treatments to help people quit, and those are same as for cigarettes. The FDA has also approved seven medications including nicotine replacement therapy, and those can be used for smokeless tobacco as well.”
New E-Cigarette Store Opening in Mandan
By Steph Scheurer, Reporter, KX News
A new store specializing in e-cigarettes opens in Mandan tomorrow.
But there are concerns about the vaporizers.
“Tried anything, everything from the gum, the patch, chantix, nothing’s worked for me,” says Craig Russell, Owner, Borealis Vape.
Until he discovered the latest trend…
“Something like this has just worked really well for me,” says Russell.
Craig is the owner of the new e-cigarette store, Borealis Vape on Main in Mandan.
With over 100 likes on Facebook in the first 48 hours of advertising his business, Craig says people are pretty excited about this type of product…
A product that he says is much safer than regular cigarettes.
“The only chemicals that are in e-juice are VG (vegetable glycerin), PG Propylenee Glycol), your flavoring, and your nicotine,” says Russell.
Craig says that e-cigarettes contain four ingredients and emit four chemicals versus a traditional cigarette which he says contains 600 ingredients and emits 7,000 chemicals.
So it may seem like the e-cigarette is the safer choice, however, they’re not FDA approved.
“There’s over 250 e-cigarette brands on the market and not a single one of them have been proven safe or effective as a cessation device to help people quit smoking,” says Kristie Wolf, Program Manager, Tobacco Control & Advocacy.
Kristie Wolf says another big concern is that this new business might lead to more young people starting up smoking e-cigarettes.
“I see quite a bit of it at school. I try not to be around it too much. But I know it’s kind of popular with the younger crowd.”
“I feel like kids nowadays, they think it’s a cool way to do stuff and they think it’s less harmful but I feel like they’d end up smoking and using the real stuff anyway.”
Although he has a business to promote, Craig says he will set the bar high…
For obeying the law.
“Any teenager could walk in here and purchase but me, as an owner, that’s high risk so we have to card. We have to card these kids, we have to tell these kids hey, why are you smoking, get out there play football, basketball, there’s other stuff to be doing than to be smoking,” says Russell.
Wolf also says e-cigarettes are included in the North Dakota smoke free law, so anywhere traditional cigarettes are not allowed, neither are e-cigarettes.
If you’re wanting to quit smoking, she urges you to try ND Quits.
For more information you can visit their website or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW.
Website: www.ndhealth.gov/ndquits
http://www.kxnet.com/story/25908937/new-e-cigarette-store-opening-in-mandan
Quitting Smokeless Tobacco May Boost Survival After Heart Attack
HealthDay
MONDAY, June 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — A new study suggests that heart attack patients who stop using snus — a specific type of moist chewing tobacco that is popular in Sweden — could greatly reduce their risk of dying within a couple years.
The findings don’t directly prove that stopping the use of this type of smokeless tobacco actually affects cardiac health, and ethical constraints may prevent researchers from ever understanding the full value of quitting. There are other caveats, and it’s not clear that quitting the main kinds of smokeless tobacco used in the United States would have the same potential effect.
Still, the study “indicates that quitting snus use after a heart attack might be as equally beneficial as quitting smoking after a heart attack,” said study author Dr. Gabriel Arefalk, a cardiologist at Uppsala University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden.
The findings don’t directly prove that stopping the use of this type of smokeless tobacco actually affects cardiac health, and ethical constraints may prevent researchers from ever understanding the full value of quitting. There are other caveats, and it’s not clear that quitting the main kinds of smokeless tobacco used in the United States would have the same potential effect.
Still, the study “indicates that quitting snus use after a heart attack might be as equally beneficial as quitting smoking after a heart attack,” said study author Dr. Gabriel Arefalk, a cardiologist at Uppsala University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden.
The health risks of smokeless tobacco have been in the news over the past week because of the death of baseball legend Tony Gwynn at the age of 54. Gwynn blamed his initial salivary gland cancer on a long history of chewing tobacco, although doctors say there’s no definitive link between that kind of tobacco and that type of cancer.
It’s clear, however, that smokeless tobacco poses major risks to health and causes other kinds of cancer.
Smokeless tobacco comes in a variety of forms, including traditional chewing tobacco (which may come in loose leaves or “plugs”) and snuff (finely cut or powdered tobacco), according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute. The new study examines snus (rhymes with “moose”), a kind of moist snuff that doesn’t need to be spit out because users typically swallow the tobacco juices.
“Snus is very different from American chewing tobacco such as Red Man or American moist snuff such as Skoal or Copenhagen,” explained Dr. John Spangler, a professor of family and community medicine and psychiatry and behavioral medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine. “Snus is pasteurized by steam, while American smokeless tobacco is cured in a heated environment over time. Curing generates more cancer-causing agents, so some tobacco experts argue that snus is safer and want tobacco companies to be able to market snus as safer.”
Snus is especially popular in Sweden, where 20 percent of adult men and 3 percent of adult women use it.
The researchers tracked almost 2,500 snus users, mostly men, who were younger than 75 and had heart attacks between 2005 and 2009. Only about one-fourth — 675 — quit using snus, while the rest continued.
Fourteen of those who quit and 69 of those who continued to use snus died over an average of about two years. Those who quit were about half as likely to die as those who continued using the smokeless tobacco, after researchers adjusted their statistics so they wouldn’t be thrown off by high or low numbers of people of certain ages or genders.
What’s going on? Researchers aren’t sure. Those who quit using smokeless tobacco could simply be healthier overall or they might have started taking better care of themselves, although the researchers tried to account for this possibility. Those who kept using snus were also more likely to have diabetes.
The researchers speculate that something about snus — possibly the nicotine — hurts the heart, perhaps by making it more vulnerable to damage from irregular heartbeats.
The findings may reveal little if anything about the smokeless tobacco that’s used in the United States, even the snus that’s sold here. “There are snus-type products available in the U.S. market currently, but the American products are manufactured and sold differently than Swedish snus, and there are no studies on the health effects of products sold in the U.S. labeled ‘snus,'” said Dr. Pamela Ling, an associate professor with the University of California, San Francisco’s Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education.
However, “smokeless tobacco use of all types is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease, so the results of this study on snus probably also apply to other forms of smokeless tobacco,” she said. “Patients with heart attacks should be encouraged to quit all forms of tobacco, both cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.”
The study appears online June 23 and in the July 22 print issue of the journal Circulation.
More information
Visit the U.S. National Cancer Institute for more on smokeless tobacco.
Tobacco companies have made cigarettes deadlier than ever
Updated by Adrianna McIntyre
Over the last five decades, the tobacco industry has engineered cigarettes to be more addictive — and has also made them more dangerous.
Smokers suffer from higher risk of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) todaycompared to 1964, when the very first Surgeon General’s report on cigarettes was issued. This infographic, from The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, lays out exactly how cigarettes have changed in the last 50 years.
Compared to cigarettes in Australia and Canada, tobacco blends used in U.S. cigarettes have higher levels of tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), chemicals known to cause cancer. TSNA levels have increased since 1964.
Cigarette companies also introduced ventilation holes in cigarette filters so that cigarettes would look healthier on paper. The ventilation holes cause machines to report lower levels of tar and nicotine when testing cigarettes. However, it’s been documented that these ventilation holes actually change how people smoke cigarettes. Smokers inhale more frequently and more deeply, drawing cancer-causing chemicals farther into the lungs.
The ill effects of these design changes are compacted by efforts to make cigarettes more attractive and more addictive.
Tobacco companies have introduced flavorings to make the taste of cigarettes more appealing, while also introducing chemicals that reduce discomfort and irritation in the lungs. Higher levels of nicotine, ammonia, and sugars have increased the addictiveness of cigarettes over time.
The smoking rate in the United States has hit an historic low — but tobacco use remains the greatest source of preventable death in the United States. According to the Surgeon General, smoking kills 480,000 Americans each year. It’s estimated that half of today’s smokers will die prematurely, losing, on average, ten years of life. It takes a toll on the nation’s economy, too: $289 billion is spent on health care and other financial losses associated with cigarettes annually.
The Tobacco Free Kids report calls for more aggressive oversight of the tobacco industry by the Food and Drug Administration. This is somewhat new terrain for the FDA; the agency wasn’t able to regulate tobacco much until 2009, when Congress enacted the Tobacco Control Act. Early efforts to stretch this regulatory muscle haven’t always been successful — the FDA wasn’t able to require cigarette manufacturers to totally overhaul their labeling to make health hazards more obvious, for example.
http://www.vox.com/2014/6/23/5835158/tobacco-companies-have-made-cigarettes-deadlier-than-ever?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=ezraklein&utm_content=sunday
FDA extending comment period on e-cigarette rules
MICHAEL FELBERBAUM, AP Tobacco Writer
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The public will have more time to weigh in on a federal proposal to regulate electronic cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The Food and Drug Administration said Friday the public comment period slated to end July 9 is being extended until Aug. 8.
In April, the agency proposed banning sales of e-cigarettes to anyone under 18, adding warning labels and requiring product approval. But it didn’t immediately restrict marketing or ban fruit or candy flavors, measures that some anti-smoking groups and members of Congress are demanding.
The FDA also proposed extending its authority to regulate cigars, hookahs, nicotine gels and pipe tobacco.
The agency has received more than 33,700 comments on the proposal. By comparison, it received around 176,000 comments on potential menthol cigarette regulations during a 120-day comment period.
Tobacco use still high in college ball, off field
USA Today
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Virginia pitcher Josh Sborz slips a pinch of chewing tobacco between his cheek and gum every now and then, even though the NCAA banned the substance 20 years ago,
“I enjoy the taste. It’s not like I’m addicted to it,” Sborz said. “I just enjoy it, definitely. I do it maybe once a month or every other week.”
Sborz said this week’s death of Hall of Fame baseball player Tony Gwynn might give college players some pause. Gwynn died at 54 of oral cancer believed to be connected to his long use of chewing tobacco.
“It should have an impact when such a star-studded player’s life was ended by the addiction he had. It’s sad,” Sborz said.
Whether Gwynn’s death has any real impact is an open question and it comes amid some concerns: Baseball players acknowledging using spit tobacco at least once in the previous month rose from 42.5 percent in 2005 to 52.3 percent in 2009, according to the NCAA’s quadrennial survey substance use trends among its athletes. Results of the 2013 survey have not yet been released, though preliminary results suggest a drop since 2009.
About 15 percent of teams in each NCAA sport are asked to participate in the anonymous survey, with a total sample size of about 20,000 athletes. Among all male athletes, 16 percent acknowledged using tobacco in 2005 and 17 percent in 2009.
Sborz said he thinks the survey is “skewed” when it comes to ball players.
“All those people don’t do it every day,” he said. “If people do it every day, that’s where it becomes a problem. If they do it once every week, I don’t see any issue with it.”
Minor-league baseball banned tobacco in 1993, a year before the NCAA. Tobacco is not banned in the major leagues.
Though tins of tobacco aren’t visible in college dugouts like they were before 1994, that doesn’t mean players aren’t dipping when they’re away from the ballpark.
“It’s 100 percent part of baseball culture,” said Virginia second baseman Branden Cogswell, who estimated half his teammates chew tobacco at least occasionally. “It’s kind of a habit for people, kind of a comfort thing. I’ve never been a part of that group, but so many guys do it. People take those risks. It’s their choice.”
Dave Keilitz, executive director of the American Baseball Coaches Association, said he was surprised to find out so many baseball players were using tobacco.
“I think most of our coaches, if not all of our coaches, are very aware of the danger and also don’t want their players using it,” Keilitz said. “In my 20 years of doing this, I haven’t seen any evidence of that taking place in dugouts, in games. I hope the same holds true in practice sessions.”
Keilitz said his organization adamantly opposes the use of smokeless tobacco and participated in the making of a video that illustrates the dangers.
Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said he chewed during his playing days in the late 1980s and early ’90s. Like Keilitz, he was surprised so many players acknowledge using tobacco.
“If kids are doing it, they’re doing a heck of a job of hiding it,” he said.
The NCAA said the ban was put in place as part of its charge to protect the safety and welfare of athletes. The penalty for violating the ban was left to the committee that oversees each sport. The Baseball Rules Committee instructed umpires to eject any player or coach who is using tobacco or who has tobacco in his possession. Enforcement was spotty until the committee made it a point of emphasis in 2003.
In spite of the warnings the players receive, Texas coach Augie Garrido said he knows some members of his team chew tobacco.
“There’s a lot more of it in Texas,” he said, “because it’s not only about the baseball. It’s about hunting, it’s about fishing, it’s about being a man.”
As for Sborz, he started chewing for a simple reason.
“I saw an older kid do it, so I thought I’d try to do it,” he said.
As baseball ponders tobacco issue, Tony Gwynn to get his say
OAKLAND – Tony Gwynn’s multitude of accomplishments, career batting average of .338 and his pioneering use of video earned him the rapt attention of players whenever he talked baseball.
Major League Baseball hopes an even more important message he’s delivering posthumously sinks in as well.
Gwynn, who died of mouth cancer Monday at 54, speaks out against smokeless tobacco use in a taped segment of an informational video MLB is producing and plans to release this season. The Hall of Fame outfielder believed he developed cancer because of his years-long habit of using spit tobacco, although that was never medically confirmed.
Whether Gwynn’s untimely death and his stance against smokeless tobacco will curtail its use among players remains an open question.
Research by the Pro Baseball Athletic Trainers Society revealed the number of major leaguers who use spit tobacco has declined from about 50% to 33% in the last 20 years.
However, that’s still about 10 times the amount in the general population, according to the American Cancer Society, whose data from 2012 showed 3.5% of Americans 12 and older – or 9 million – use the highly addictive product.
“It’s definitely ingrained and something that’s part of our baseball culture, but it’s not exclusive to baseball,” said Oakland Athletics first baseman Brandon Moss, a non-user. “You would hope a figure like (Gwynn), something tragic like that happening, would be a wake-up call for everyone, not just those in baseball. … But most guys are probably going to look at it as the loss of a great man and a great baseball player and leave it at that.”
Indeed, the stance among players seems to be that they’re aware of the dangers but, like smoking, it’s up to every individual to decide whether to use what remains a legal product.
The National Cancer Institute says in its website that smokeless tobacco contains at least 28 chemicals that have been found to cause cancer – typically of the mouth, esophagus and pancreas – and may also lead to heart disease, gum disease and oral lesions.
“People understand the risks involved and still choose to do it,” Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. “We all do stupid things, whatever your vice happens to be. People may criticize these guys for dipping, and then somebody’s texting and driving.”
And while Gwynn’s passing was lamented throughout the game, it doesn’t figure to be interpreted by many players – who are usually in their 20s or early 30s, with the concomitant sense of invincibility – as a cautionary tale.
“It’s one of those things that’s scary and obviously you hope you’re not the one,” said A’s catcher Stephen Vogt, who said he dips once in a while. “I don’t think it’s good. I definitely don’t advocate it, but at the same time, it’s an adult decision.”
Baseball has taken steps to sway that decision, or at least make the practice less visible to minimize the impact on young fans.
The current collective bargaining agreement, in effect from 2012-16, bans players, managers and coaches from using smokeless tobacco during TV interviews and team appearances. And they have to keep tobacco products out of sight while fans are at the ballpark.
In addition, MLB and the players union have stepped up educational efforts, and teams – which in the past freely distributed cans of dip in the clubhouse – can no longer do so and are now required to administer oral exams as part of the spring training physicals every year.
Longtime TV announcer Joe Garagiola, who quit his smokeless tobacco habit in his 30s, made it his life’s mission to warn other baseball folks about its dangers, making presentations during spring training alongside former major league outfielder Billy Tuttle, who died of oral cancer at 69 in 1998.
“I don’t think we talk about it enough anymore,” says Atlanta Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez. “I remember as a young A-ball manager, Joe Garagiola would always come around in spring training with Bill Tuttle. It was scary.
“And I still see people chewing tobacco. Not only in the big leagues, but you still see kids in junior high and high school.
For me, it’s not enough yet. It’s a shame.”
Indeed, the sight of players constantly spitting, some sporting a large wad of tobacco inside their cheek, remains one of the game’s enduring images.
“Every spring training we have a guy that comes in who’s had mouth cancer through tobacco,” Rangers utilityman Donnie Murphy said. “So you see it. But at the same time, it’s like an addiction thing. You do it for so long, you’re going to want to keep doing it.”
Players say using smokeless tobacco provides a form of relaxation and becomes part of their routine in a daily sport with lots of down time.
And with amphetamines now banned from baseball, the jolt of energy from the nicotine in the tobacco – absorbed during a longer stretch through dip or chew than by smoking – can help players navigate the season’s six-month grind.
Commissioner Bud Selig has expressed a desire to banish smokeless tobacco from the majors the same way MLB barred it from the minors starting in 1993. But the issue is subject to collective bargaining and the players association has declined, opting to protect personal freedoms and emphasize education.
“The MLBPA discourages the use of smokeless tobacco products by its members or by anyone else. These products carry serious health risks, yet remain legally and widely available,” union spokesman Greg Bouris said via e-mail. “In general terms, included in the smokeless tobacco policy negotiated in 2011 are restrictions/prohibitions on its use, increased emphasis on education and cessation programs, as well as oral examinations. At this point in time, player education continues to be a focus of ours.”
Contributing: Paul White in Washington
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2014/06/19/mlb-tobacco-tony-gwynn/10937253/