Steve Chapman on chewing tobacco vs. cigarettes

Any smoker who gives up cigarettes for snuff is clearly doing his or her body a favor. That’s because most of the danger from tobacco actually comes from setting it afire and inhaling the smoke. Omitting that step makes a huge difference. A 2002 report by Britain’s Royal College of Physicians found that “the consumption of non-combustible tobacco is of the order of 10-1,000 times less hazardous than smoking, depending on the product.” The American Council on Science and Health puts the overall health risk at about 2 percent of that from sucking on a cancer stick.

~ Steve Chapman, "Tobacco Truth Gets Smoke," Townhall.com, January 10, 2010