This document contains definitions and overview on a number of tobacco products and nicotine delivery devices currently available on the US and/or international market.
Updated April 2011 [ako]
A New Wave of Tobacco
Products
Summary of Tobacco Products Currently for Sale in an Evolving US Market
Background
As stricter tobacco control laws are implemented—including cigarette and
tobacco taxation, clean air laws and promotional restrictions—the tobacco
industry looks to new products and means of getting people, especially children,
hooked on their products.
With cigarette sales falling and the loss of thousands of aging smokers every day,
the tobacco industry is forced to seek ways to improve income levels and ensure
business sustainability. Nothing is more sustainable than hooking a customer
from a young age, which is the tobacco industry’s goal as they look to a new era
of industry operation—a new wave of products to ensure lifelong addiction and
customer retention.
Products Currently on the Marketi
Chewing tobacco
o The product is consumed orally, but is not actually
chewed. Rather, the user places a small amount in
the bottom lip of their mouth, between the gum and
the teeth where it is compacted tightly into the
user's lip. It is common to spit and discard of excess
saliva caused by the tobacco.
o Chewing tobacco comes in several forms:
Loose leaf tobacco is sweetened and packaged loose in
aluminum lined packs. The chewer simply takes a portion
directly from the pouch. This is the most common form of
chew.
Plug tobacco is press formed into sheets, with the aid of
syrup (typically molasses), which helps maintain form as
well as sweetens. The sheets are then cut into individual
plugs, wrapped with fine tobacco and packaged.
Individual servings must be cut or bitten directly from the
plug.
Twist tobacco is spun and rolled into large
rope-like strands and then twisted into knots.
The final product is much lower in moisture
than plug or loose leaf tobacco, and historic
varieties could be smoked in a pipe as well as
chewed. This was the most common form of
chewing tobacco in the 18th and 19th
centuries.
Modern use is primarily limited to Civil War other
other period reenactors.
Tobacco bits are formed by rolling sweetened—typically
flavored—tobacco into small pieces which are consumed
individually. These are typically packaged in small tins like
mints.
Cigars
o A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and
fermented tobacco which is ignited so that its
smoke may be drawn into the smoker's mouth, but
not inhaled.
Blunts
o Blunts are wide, somewhat stubby versions of cigars which are
often flavored.
o Blunts typically consist of two main parts; the inner leaf, which is
similar to a cigarette rolling paper, except it is made of tobacco,
and a thicker outer leaf which is rolled around the inner leaf in a
spiral. In most commercially available blunts, the "leaves" are not
actual tobacco leaves but rather paper made from tobacco pulp.
Cigarillos
o Cigarillos are long, thin cigars, somewhat larger than
cigarettes but smaller than regular cigars.
o Unlike cigarettes, cigarillos are wrapped not in whole-
leaf tobacco.
o Cigarillos are sold both in packs and singularly.
o Cigarillos can are often made without filters.
o Unlike a cigarette, they are not meant to be inhaled
but rather smoked like a cigar.
Little cigars
o A little cigar is a cigar that is the same size as a cigarette;
however, it still retains its legal classification as a cigar because it
is wrapped in a tobacco leaf or mixed of tobacco leaf and paper.
o Sales of little cigars quadrupled in the U.S. from 1971 to 1973 in
response to the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, which
banned broadcast cigarette advertisements and required
stronger health warnings on cigarette packs. Cigars were exempt
from the ban, and perhaps more importantly, are taxed at a
significantly lower rate.
Dipping tobacco (dip)
o Dipping tobacco is most commonly known as American moist
snuff or spit tobacco, and is a form of smokeless tobacco.
o Dip is sometimes called "chew" and often confused with chewing
tobacco.
o To use dip, a small clump of dip is 'pinched' out of the tin and
placed between the lower or upper lip and gums.
o Different forms of dip include:
Long cut, or “straight cut,” is larger grain dip. It is the
most popular form of dip on the market.
Mid cut sized dipping tobacco is comparable to small
granules at about 1 mm cubed.
Fine cut comes in granules slightly larger than sand or
coffee grounds.
(American) snuff is used as a common term to describe all
forms of moist dipping tobacco.
Original “snuff,” which was developed and is still
used in England, looks similar to dirt or sand in
terms of granular size and is inhaled through the
nostrils.
In the US, snuff is also known as “American
snuff,” “moist snuff” and “Swedish snus.”
Pouches (aka ‘snus’) hold fine cut tobacco in a small
teabag-like pouch for convenience.
This is different from Swedish snus, which is a
product similar to loose moist snuff.
Cigarettes
o Cigarettes are consumed through smoking a
paper-wrapped cylinder (usually less than
120 mm in length and 10 mm in diameter)
stuffed with a mixture of cured and finely cut
tobacco leaves and reconstituted tobacco, often
combined with other additives.
o A cigarette is distinguished from a cigar by its smaller size, use of
processed leaf, and paper wrapping.
o There are other forms of cigarettes including:
Kreteks
Kreteks are cigarettes made with a complex blend
of tobacco, cloves and a flavoring 'sauce'.
Since 2009, kreteks are no longer legal for sale in
the United States. However a variation of the
kretek is being sold: "cigars" that are similar in
size and shape to the original kreteks, also with a
filter and the original tobacco/clove blend, but in
a tobacco-based paper.
Roll-Your-Own
Roll-your-own cigarettes are cigarettes made
from loose tobacco and rolling papers. Roll-your-
own products are sold as a
pouch of tobacco for rolling
hand-rolled cigarettes,
sometimes with the rolling
papers provided in the
pouch. Loose filters can also
be bought and added to the
rolled cigarettes.
Also known as (aka) “RYO,”
“rollies,” “roll-ups” or “hand-
rolled cigarettes.”
Dissolvable tobacco
o Dissolvable tobacco is the newest form of tobacco product on the
market, entering mainstream use in the latter half of the 2000s.
The product consists of finely-processed tobacco which is
developed in such a way as to allow the substance to dissolve in
the mouth.
o Star Scientific manufactures two brands of dissolvable tobacco:
Ariva and Stonewall. Both brands contain flue-cured powdered
Virginia tobacco compressed into smoke-free, spit-free, flavored
dissolvable tobacco “lozenges” packaged in blister packages and a
cardboard carton (much like OTC medications).
The Ariva brand, introduced in 2001, contains 1.5
milligrams of nicotine in each piece and dissolves
in the mouth in 10-30 minutes.
o Comes in five flavors: Cinnamon, Mint,
Cirtus, Wintergreen and Java.
The Stonewall brand, introduced in 2003, has
more surface area and contain 4.0 milligrams of
nicotine per piece, with each piece dissolving in
10-30 minutes
o Comes in three flavors: Natural,
Wintergreen,
and Java.
o Camel products (orbs, sticks and strips) were pulled from test
markets in early 2011, however other tobacco companies are
currently looking at designing similar single-unit tobacco product
similar to the Camel examples outlined below.
Orbs contain fine grain tobacco combined with “additives
such as water, flavorants, binders, colorants, pH
adjusters, buffering agents, fillers, disintegration aids,
humectants, antioxidants, oral care
ingredients, preservatives, additives derived
from herbal or botanical sources, and
mixtures thereof.”ii
Camel currently sells the product in
two versions: Mellow and Fresh.
Each pellet contains 1 milligram of
nicotine, dissolving in the mouth in 10-15
minutes.
The stick is a twisted stick the size of a toothpick that lasts
in the mouth about 20-30 minutes, and contains 3.1
milligrams of nicotine.
The Camel Sticks are for insertion between the
upper lip and gum, and come in one style:
Mellow.
Strips contain 0.6 milligrams of nicotine per strip and use
the same technology used in the Listerine PocketPacks.
The thin film nicotine delivery device lasts 2-3
minutes.
Camel Strips come in one style: Fresh
Nicotine-laced orbs, strips and sticks have joined chewing
tobacco and snuff to become the second-most common
cause of unintentional tobacco ingestion in children
younger than 6.iii
Product Usage Guide for Camel Dissolvable Tobacco:
Shisha tobacco
o It is a somewhat moist form of tobacco that is coagulated with
molasses or other sweeteners and has been popular in the
Middle-East for centuries. It is often smoked with a hookah water
pipe.
Electronic Cigarettesiv
o Electronic cigarettes (or “e-cigarettes”) are
nicotine delivery devices that do not contain
tobacco, but resemble cigarettes, cigars or
pipes.
The e-cigarette contains a battery, an
atomizer and a cartridge containing a
mixture of nicotine, water and
propylene glycol.
By using the battery to make electronic heat, the
atomizer device vaporizes the liquid nicotine
within the cartridge into an inhalable mist.
It is patented as a “mouth sucking type
household ultrasonic atomization therapeutic
device.”
Some versions have the e-cigarette appearing as pens
and other nontobacco products for concealment
purposes (see left).
The eLiquid (nicotine liquid in the e-cigarette) is available
in a number of different flavors and nicotine
concentrations.
There are currently 17 (known) companies/dealers
actively marketing the sale of an electronic cigarette.
o The FDA has classified electronic cigarettes as drug delivery
device and is subject to approval before being sold in the US
(under the authority of Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act).
o The FDA currently bans the import of e-cigarettes into the United
States.
In January 2010, this rule was overturned by a federal
judge. However, the importation of e-cigarettes will be
banned indefinitely as the result of a unanimous ruling by
the U.S. Court of Appeals in March 2010, which reversed
the lower courts ruling.
Electronic cigarette companies are prominent on the
internet, where much of their marketing and sales are
conducted.
It has yet to be determined what actions the FDA will
take to ensure that only compliant products are on the
market.
Several countries, including Hong Kong, Singapore,
Finland, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Chile and Panama, have
banned the sale of e-cigarettes.
Malaysia, Denmark, Austria and New Zealand
classify e-cigarettes as medicinal products.
o Several studies regarding the health impact of inhaling nicotine
vapor are currently underway.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated in
September 2008 that it does not consider the electronic
cigarette to be a smoking cessation aid.v
In July 2009, the FDA issued a statement discouraging the
use of electronic cigarettes and stated concerns that
electronic cigarettes do not contain the proper health
warnings or labels, and may be marketed to youth.vi
Arizona, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York and
Pennsylvania have begun efforts to restrict
electronic cigarette use in various forms.
Nico-water was banned in Maine in 2004,
setting precedence for the ban of nicotine
delivery devises.
Additional states are waiting to determine
action on e-cigarettes pending official
decision on product safety by the FDA.
There is continued concern and question as to how e-
cigarettes will impact, or be impacted by, existing
secondhand smoke laws.
o In May 2010, Japanese company Japan Tobacco Inc. began selling
the “Zerostyle Mint.” The product, which “resembles a regular
cigarette but contain a replaceable cartridge that holds tobacco
leaves” emits no smoke but allows the user to inhale the taste of
tobacco and mint through a tapered mouthpiece.vii
Items available internationally, but not discussed, include:
Dokha
Gutka
Tobacco gum
Tobacco water (banned for sale in Maine)
Topical tobacco paste
Creamy snuff
i Please note that, unless otherwise cited, information contained in this document derived from the following source(s):
Tobacco Products. (2010, April 10). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 25-26, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_products
ii Dube, Michael Francis, et al. Smokeless Tobacco Composition. U. S. Patent Application. 7 Feb 2008. iii Aleccia, JoNela. “Tobacco „mints‟ tied to kids‟ poisoning.” MSNBC 19 April 2010. Internet. iv Please note that, unless otherwise cited, information contained in this document derived from the following source(s):
Electronic cigarettes. (2010, May 26). In Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved May 27, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_cigarettes
v World Health Organization. Press Announcement. “Marketers of electronic cigarettes should halt unproved therapy claims.” WHO Tobacco Free Initiative. 9 September 2010. Internet. vi Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “FDA and Public Health Experts Warn About Electronic Cigarettes.” Press Announcement. 22 July 2009. Internet. vii Ryall, Julian. “Japanese tobacco company unveils „smokeless cigarette.‟” The Daily Telegraph 18 May 2010. Internet.