A key reason why smoking rates have flattened in recent years is because government health officials/agencies and well funded health, medical and anti tobacco groups have mislead smokers and the public to believe that far less hazardous smokefree tobacco/nicotine products are just as hazardous as cigarettes, have discouraged smokers from switching to these far less hazardous alternatives, have advocated FDA legislation to prohibit tobacco companies from truthfully informing smokers than smokefree tobacco products are less hazardous than cigarettes, have tried to totally ban e-cigarettes, have advocated higher tax rates for smokeless tobacco than for cigarettes, and have falsely claimed that all smokefree tobacco/nicotine substitutes are being target marketed to youth. It is truly ironic that tobacco companies want to market far less hazardous smokefree products to smokers as alternatives to cigarettes, while anti tobacco/nicotine extremists protect cigarette markets and discourage smokers from switching to far less hazardous alternatives.

To say it is truly ironic is a way of asking WHY? Maybe a parallel irony: my efforts to describe or depict anti-overdose equipment on Wikipedia cannabis-related articles meet with determined opposition from a few editors with Delete button. If addicted hot burning overdose tobacco smokers went to those articles and learned about Dosage Regulation from cannabis users, maybe the death of the $igarette format could be exaggerated a little quicker.

First of all there isn't any tobacco use that is safe for the consumer of that product. I'm not talking about the patch, gum, lozengers etc. that have nicotine in them. They do not have tobacco in them, so they are safer to use. Smokeless tobacco on the otherhand is not a safe alternative to smoking. It only protects the non smoker but doesn't the smoker as they will still ingest cancer causing chemicals that is in all tobacco products. Smokless tobacco will still increase heart rate and blood pressure as well as hinder you if you suffer from diabetes. If you have a surgery and and use smokeless tobacco, your risk is still higher than that of a non user for developing complications. The list can go on and on. Evidently, e-cigarettes are still out there as the mayor of one of the cities that I work with is currently using it to stop his smoking and to help his health issues out. Remember, if it has tobacco in it - it is not without risks and severe ones at that, whether it is smoked, chewed, sniffed, you get the picture.

Nicotine gum AND patches DO HAVE nicotine in them and are JUST as addictive and dangerous as first hand smoking. PLEASE stop your nicotine replacement propaganda. It's insulting! Keep your nico replacement grants, but STOP lying!