Story Date: October 2006

Spit Tobacco Grades Add Up to a “D” for the Nation, Says Oral Health America

CHICAGO , October 16, 2006— Rates of spit tobacco use by high school males are nothing to smile about, reports Oral Health America 's National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP). Research by the independent group finds that nationally about one out of seven high school males currently use spit (or smokeless) tobacco products, and in some states that number is one out of four. Spit tobacco excise taxes, which can reduce use by children, are arguably low, also resulting in a national “D” grade.

“We still have a lot of work to do to educate parents and children that spit tobacco is not harmless,” said Robert Klaus, President and CEO of Oral Health America . “The tobacco industry spends millions of dollars every year to hook young people, including our armed service members, into a lifetime of addiction and health risks.”

Youth spit tobacco use appears to be at a stand-still, meaning that states may not continue to see declines from the past decade prompted by national and state education programs. While a number of states earning “F” grades have reduced rampant youth spit tobacco use, percentages remain unacceptably high. These states include Alabama , Arkansas , Kentucky , Montana , Tennessee , West Virginia , and Wyoming . Some of the highest-use states also lack meaningful excise taxes, notably Arkansas , Georgia , Indiana , Iowa , Kansas , Kentucky , Nebraska , New Mexico , South Carolina , South Dakota , Tennessee , West Virginia , and Wyoming .

Spit tobacco use can cause serious health problems including nicotine addiction, tooth decay, gum disease, heart problems, precancerous mouth sores, and oral cancer.

The release of this report coincides with the Third Annual Spit Tobacco Summit, held at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine on October 16-18 in Rochester , MN .

Access the report card: 2006 NSTEP Report Card