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52
TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
MAY/JUNE 2012
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
significant consumer appeal and are
poised for broader acceptance in the
marketplace.” Catterton reportedly
has vast experience in helping to build
consumables brands like Kettle Chips,
Odwalla and Sweet Leaf Tea.
As an environmental aside to
the category,
National Geographic
’s
NewsWatch reports that electronic
cigarettes have the potential to help
reduce the environmental harm caused
by improperly disposed cigarette butts,
given that e-cigarettes are typically
reusable and rechargeable. The core
of a cigarette butt reportedly can take
18 months to 10 years to decompose,
during which time the chemicals in
the filters can leach into the ground
and potentially affect organisms that
come into contact with them.
Snus vs. Smoking
It appears Norwegian doctors are
better educated about the relative risks
of smoking and smokeless tobacco
products compared to their American
peers. A survey of doctors in Norway,
conducted by researchers of the
Norwegian Institute for Alcohol and
Drug Research, found that 36 percent
believed snus is “much less harmful”
and 45 percent believe snus is “less
harmful” than cigarettes.
Prof. Rodu commented about the
study in his blog, saying medical
practitioners who know that snus is
less harmful than cigarettes are twice as
likely to recommend snus as a smoking
cessation aid as doctors who are not
aware of the reduced harm posed by
the product. Rodu added that tobacco
harm reduction will be successful
in this country only when smokers
and their physicians are educated
about snus and other alternatives to
cigarettes.
Meanwhile, two American snus
manufacturers are expanding their
product lines. RJ Reynolds Tobacco
is expanding its Camel Snus line
by introducing Camel Snus Mint,
previously available only in the
Minneapolis/St. Paul market, to select
retail outlets across 27 states. “As
trends in tobacco use change, Camel is
transforming by offering adult smokers
options, like Camel Snus Mint, to
consider switching to,” says Richard
Smith, spokesperson for the company.
Swedish Match North America
expanded its General brand of snus,
launched in Chicago, Dallas and
Philadelphia in mid-2011, to New
York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis,
Phoenix, Denver, Nashville and
the state of Ohio. The company
selected these markets after taking
into consideration numerous criteria
including local smoking restrictions,
number of adult tobacco consumers
and the potential opportunity for the
snus category, explains Clark Darrah,
vice president of Next Generation
Products.
Discovering Dissolvables
In what is being considered a small
victory for THR, the FDA in late
March released its Tobacco Products
Scientific Advisory Committee report
on dissolvable tobacco products