February 3, 2000

You see it on television, in ads found in magazines, even on freeway billboards. Mostly you see it while watching baseball. Chewing tobacco is everywhere. And it's dangerous.

Most people believe that chewing tobacco is a lot safer than smoking cigarettes. In reality, using smokeless tobacco is in many ways worse than lighting up a cigarette, says the American Cancer Society. Smokeless tobacco contains 10 times the amount of the cancer causing agent nitrosamines found in cigarettes, and can lead to major health problems. Oral cancer, or leukoplakia, often begins with white patches in the mouth found where the tobacco is held. More than 87% of oral cancer cases are directly linked to smokeless tobacco and cigarette use.

Minor health problems include bad breath and stained teeth. As people continue to chew tobacco, they can lose their sense of taste, for which they compensate by adding more sugar and salt to foods. This in turn can cause other health problems including obesity.

Despite these well-known statistics, the use of smokeless, or "chew" tobacco, is on the rise, according to the Stanislaus County Health Services Agency. California's new anti-smoking laws, and the increased vigilance of law enforcement officers towards tobacco use by under age smokers both on and off school grounds, may be contributing factors, the Agency says. Chew tobacco is more easily hidden than is smoking.

This month, MJC Health Services will team up with the county agency's Tobacco Education office to promote the annual "Lose the Chew Week" February 21-25, 2000. The slogan for this year's event is "Don't Spit on Your Dreams."

The campaign will kick off February 22 with an information meeting in Founders Hall 127. Speakers will offer quick quitting tips, self help material, and answers to all questions.

The event's official "quit day" is February 24. On that day there will be "Lose the Chew" information booths in the Student Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and in the Agriculture Building lobby from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Free phone cards will be given to all participants, as an incentive. MJC and county health services urge everyone in the MJC community to check out the displays and information, and change their life by "Losing The Chew."

Reprinted by permission of The Pirates Log.