“Through with Chew Week” will be recognized Feb. 17-23 to highlight the dangers of smokeless and all other tobacco products, Flathead City-County Health officials said.

As more people understand the harm of smoking, tobacco companies have shifted their promotional focus to smokeless tobacco products as a “safe” alternative to smoking cigarettes.

“Smokeless tobacco is re-emerging as a dangerous threat to the collective health and wellness of Montanans,” said Lisa Schlepp, tobacco prevention specialist for the Flathead City-County Health Department.

Tobacco companies have long used the Montana culture of independence and rural Western image against Montanans with targeted smokeless product marketing. Now the companies use product flavorings, package designs and marketing campaigns to appeal to a younger, trendier audience including teens.

According to Schlepp, smokeless products were treated as a niche market for the tobacco industry. But with increased federal oversight on cigarettes, tobacco companies launched a new strategy of convincing smokers to use smokeless products in places that don’t allow smoking.  

“Research shows that people who use both cigarettes and smokeless products have an extremely difficult time trying to quit either,” Schlepp said.

Contrary to tobacco industry marketing hype, smokeless products can deliver a dose of nicotine equal to two cigarettes, Schlepp said.

As part of “Through with Chew Week,” people trying to quit can obtain Quit Spit Kits and educational materials from local dentists. For a list of dentists providing free oral screenings, contact the Tobacco Use Prevention Program at 751-8260.

For more support, tobacco users can call the quit line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free coaching, patches, gum or lozenges as well as discounts on prescription quitting medications.

For more information, call 751-8260, visit www.flatheadhealth.org or look for their Facebook page.