1. Smokeless Tobacco

2. Need To Know  There is no such thing as “safe” tobacco  Smokeless tobacco doesn’t mean it’s harmless  20% of high school boys chew and 2% of high school girls  One third of the 14 million users are under the age of 21  More than half of these users developed the habit before they were 13

3. Need To Know  Immediate effects  Bad breath  Yellowing of teeth  Mouth sores (70% of users have them)  Cracking and bleeding of the gums and lips  Receding gum lines that lead to teeth falling out  Increased heartbeat, high blood pressure, irregular heart beat (all lead to a greater risk of cancer and brain damage from a stroke)

4. Nice to Know  Not all cancer from chewing tobacco leads to mouth cancer. It can also lead to cancer of:  Stomach, esophagus, bladder, and pancreatic cancer

5. Necessary Skills  Use a patch or nicotine gum to help you quit.  Use substitutes such as tobacco free snuff, gum, hard candy, or beef jerky.  Do something instead of chewing  Ex: running, lifting weights, playing a sport.

6. References  http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/t obacco/smokeless.html http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/t obacco/smokeless.html  http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerC auses/TobaccoCancer/SmokelessTobacc oandHowtoQuit/smokeless-tobacco-risks http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/CancerC auses/TobaccoCancer/SmokelessTobacc oandHowtoQuit/smokeless-tobacco-risks