SLT

Smokeless tobacco, usual abbreviated as SLT

Definition.

Smokeless tobacco is a tobacco product that is used by means other than smoking. In other words, this type of tobacco is not burned, its consumption  does not involve  combustion.

The consumption SLT involves chewing, sniffing, or placing the product between gum and the cheek or lip. They are produced in various forms, such as snuff, snus, chewing tobacco and Dissolvables (lozenges, sticks, strips, orbs)

A significant  proportion  of SLT s are considered  safer than combustion  cigarettes  because  they eliminate over 4000 various compounds, most of which are hazardous carcinogens.

SLTs can be a great answer  to the public  healthcare if well integrated in the public  health system.

It is important  to note that because of the ban of such saffer alternatives in some countries gives rise to a "black market" where illicit and unregulated SLTs are sold.

Types of smokeless tobacco

Snus

Snus, a product that originated in Sweden, is moist snuff that comes packaged in small pouches and is often flavored. This product does not produce excess saliva like other forms of smokeless tobacco, making it spit-less.

Separate from American snus, Swedish Snus are produced pursuant to a voluntary standard designed to reduce contaminants and nitrosamine levels (the “Gothiatek” standard). The FDA reviewed some of these 9 Swedish Snus products and permitted their sale in the U.S. and authorized them as modified risk tobacco products.

“Using General Snus instead of cigarettes puts you at a lower risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.” By allowing them to be sold, FDA concluded that the manufacturer demonstrated that the products will benefit the health of the population as a whole.

Chewing tobacco (“chew”)

Chewing tobacco is available in loose leaves, plugs, or twists of tobacco, and is placed between the cheek and gum or teeth. Examples of chewing tobacco include Red Man and Levi Garrett.

Snuff

Snuff is finely ground tobacco packaged in cans or pouches, which can be sold dry (powdered form that is sniffed) or moist (placed between the lower lip or cheek and gum) and is sometimes used in teabag-like pouches. Popular brands of moist snuff are Copenhagen and Skoal.

Dissolvable tobacco

Dissolvable tobacco is another spit-less, frequently flavored tobacco product that is finely milled and dissolves orally. Ariva and Stonewall are some of the dissolvable products on the market.

Pituri Bush – a bush medicine and native hallucinogenic

Aboriginal people have used plants both as a bushfood and bush medicine for centuries.  Scientists have shown considerable interest in this particular bush and their reports from the 19th century said that they had observed Aboriginal men chewing pituri to give wisdom, feel brave in the face of  warfare and allowed them to walk hundreds of kilometres in the desert without thinking about the need for food or water. This bush also has hallucinogenic properties.

The Pituri bush, used by the Aborigines as a bush medicine, grows to around 2.5mtrs. and is classified as a clonal shrub ie not propagated by seed.

Table of available SLT products and where available details of ingredients

Collapse

Product Name	Region	Mode of use A=Applied gums C = Chewed D = Dentifrice DI = Dissolves G = Gargled H = Held in mouth IN = Ingredient N = Nasal use S = Sucked	Form	Ingredients/additives
Gundi (kadapan)	India	C, IN	Tobacco (coarsely powdered)	Coriander seeds, other spices, and aromatic, resinous oils
Hogesoppu (leaf tobacco)	India	C, IN	Unprocessed tobacco bundled in long strands	None
Kaddipudi	India	C, IN	Powdered sticks of raw tobacco stalks and petioles	Sometimes molasses and water
Kiwam (qiwam, kimam)	Pakistan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh	C, H, IN	Tobacco (boiled)	Spices (cardamom, saffron, and/or aniseed), additives such as musk, and may contain silver flecks
Loose leaf	United States	C, H, S	Tobacco leaves (air-cured)	Sugar and/or licorice and other sweeteners
Mishri (masheri, misri)	India	A, D, S	Tobacco (toasted, powdered)	None
Moist snuff (low pH)	South Africa, United States, Canada, Mexico	H, S	Tobacco (fermented, air or fire-cured)	Flavorings (spices, essential oils, extracts), sweeteners, inorganic salts, humectants, preservatives
Neffa	Algeria, Libya, Tunisia	N	Tobacco (dry)	None
Tobacco chewing gum	Gam, Japan	C	Tobacco (finely ground)	Chewing gum base, xylitol
Pattiwalla without lime	India	C, IN	Tobacco (sundried, flaked)	None
Plug	United States	C, H, S	Tobacco leaves	Licorice, sweeteners
Red toothpowder (lal dant manjan)	India	A, D	Tobacco (powdered)	Herbs, flavorings. Additional plant-related ingredients such as ginger, pepper, and camphor, among others, may be used.
Snus (low pH)	South Africa, United States, Canada, Brazil, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland	H	Tobacco (heat-treated, pasteurized)	Sodium carbonate, moisturizers, salt (sodium chloride), sweeteners, flavorings, water
Tapkeer (bajjar, dry snuff)	India	A, H, N	Tobacco (fermented, fire-cured)	Flavorings may be added.
Tobacco leaf	India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Bhutan	C, IN	Tobacco leaves (dry)	None
Tumbaco	Congo	N	Tobacco (dry)	None
Twist	United States	C, H	Tobacco (dark and air-cured leaf)	Tobacco leaf extracts and sometimes sweetener or flavorings
Watery tobacco	Myanmar	G	Tobacco	Water
Zarda	Yemen, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan	C, IN	Tobacco	Slaked lime or other alkaline agents, spices, vegetable dyes, and sometimes areca nut and/or silver flecks
Chimó	Venezuela, Columbia	H, S	Tobacco leaf	Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), brown sugar, ashes from the Mamón tree (Meliccoca bijuga), and vanilla and anisette flavoring. Ingredients vary by region.
Creamy snuff	India	A	Tobacco	Clove oil, glycerin, spearmint, menthol, camphor, water
Dissolvables	United States	DI, H, S	Ground tobacco pressed into tablets, strips, or sticks	Binders, humectants, sweeteners, colorings, preservatives, alkaline agents, flavorings
Dry snuff	South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, United States, Germany	H, N, S	Tobacco (fermented, firecured	Flavoring, alkaline agents
Ghana traditional snuff (tawa)	Ghana	H, N	Tobacco leaves (dry)	Saltpeter (potassium nitrate), ashes
Gudakhu/ Gudakha	India	A, H	Tobacco (powdered)	Molasses, red soil, slaked lime
Gul	India, Bangladesh	A, D	Pyrolysed tobacco leaves	Sugar or molasses, alkaline modifiers, and other unknown ingredients
Iqmik	United States (Alaska)	C	Tobacco	Tree fungus ash (also known as punk, araq, or buluq ash) or other ash derived from burning driftwood or willow bushes
Khaini	India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan	S, H, C	Tobacco	Slaked lime paste and sometimes areca nut
Maras	Turkey	A	Sun-dried tobacco	Ashes from oak, walnut, or grapevine
Moist snuff (high pH)	South Africa, United States, Canada, Mexico	H, S	Tobacco (fermented, air or fire-cured)	Flavorings (spices, essential oils, extracts), sweeteners, inorganic salts, humectants, preservatives
Nass (naswar)	South Africa, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates, Turkmenistan	C, H, S	Tobacco	Nass: ash, cotton or sesame oil, water, and sometimes lime or gum Naswar: slaked lime, ash, indigo (or other coloring agent), oil, water, and sometimes flavorings such as cardamom and menthol
Nasway (nasvay)	Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan	H, S	Tobacco leaves (sun and heat-dried)	Tobacco leaves, slaked lime, water, and sometimes ash from tree bark, butter or oil, flavorings, or coloring agents
Nigerian traditional snuff (taaba)	Nigeria, Cameroon, Senegal, Chad, Uganda	H, N, S	Tobacco (dry, fermented)	Natron (a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and sodium chloride)
Pituri	Australia	H, N, S	Duboisia hopwodii	mixed with ash of a certain Acacia
Shammah	Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen	H, S	Tobacco	Slaked lime, ash, black pepper, oil, flavorings, and bombosa (sodium carbonate)
Snus (high pH)	South Africa AMR: United States, Canada, Brazil, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland	H	Tobacco (heat-treated, pasteurized)	Sodium carbonate, moisturizers, salt (sodium chloride), sweeteners, flavorings, water
Tobacco water (tuiber)	India	G, H	Tobacco smoke	Water, alkaline agents
Toombak	Sudan	H, N, S	Tobacco (fermented, sun-dried)	Atrun (sodium bicarbonate)
Traditional South African snuff (snuif)	South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland		Tobacco leaf (sun-dried)	Ash from local plants (e.g., amaranthus, aloe vera leaves)
Betel quid (paan)	Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal, Maldives, Lao Democratic People’s Republic, Palau, Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Federal States of Micronesia	C, H	Tobacco. Other smokeless tobacco products may be used such as kiwam and zarda.	Areca nut, slaked lime, betel leaf, and often catechu. Other ingredients vary regionally: cardamom, saffron, cloves, aniseed, turmeric, mustard, sweeteners
Dohra	India	C	Tobacco	Areca nut, slaked lime or other alkaline agents, and other ingredients such as catechu, peppermint, cardamom
Gutka	Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka	C, H	Tobacco	Areca nut, slaked lime or other alkaline agents, catechu, sweeteners, and flavorings
Kharra	India	C	Tobacco	Areca nut, lime, and catechu
Mainpuri (kapoori)	India	C, H, IN	Tobacco	Slaked lime or other alkaline agents, areca nut, camphor, and other spices
Mawa SE	India	C	Tobacco	Slaked lime, areca nut
Tombol (bitter tombol)	Middle East	C, H	Tobacco	Areca nut (fofal), slaked lime, noura, betel leaf (tombol leaf), catechu, and flavorings such as clove oil, cardamom, or herbal medicine
Tombol (sweet tombol)	Yemen	C, H	Tobacco	Areca nut (fofal), slaked lime, noura, betel leaf (tombol leaf), catechu, and sweeteners such as coconut
Caffeinated moist snuff	United States	H	Tobacco (fermented, air or fire-cured	Caffeine, flavorings (spices, essential oils, extracts), sweeteners, inorganic salts, humectants, preservatives, ginseng, B and C vitamins
Rapé and NuNu	Brazil	N	Tobacco leaf (dried)	One or more ingredients: tonka bean, clove, cinnamon powder, camphor, Peruvian cocoa, cassava, ashes from select trees
Tombol with khat	Yemen	C, IN	Tobacco	Areca nut (fofal), slaked lime, noura, betel leaf (tombol leaf), catechu, and khat

References

1. https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/traditional-tobacco-products/smokeless-tobacco-facts-stats-and-regulations
2. https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/brp/tcrb/smokeless-tobacco
3. https://www.outbackchef.com.au/pituri-bush-bush-medicine-native-hallucinogenic/
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9685874/