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Differences in Pouch, Tin and Pipe Tobacco

Pouch, tin and pipe tobacco are all alternatives for those who do not wish to smoke cigarettes. Pouch and tin tobacco are similar, deviating from traditional smoking. Pipe tobacco, on the other hand, leans more toward conventional methods. While the consequences of smoking cigarettes or pipes are well known, pouch and tin tobacco carry their own risks, as well.

  1. Pouch Tobacco

    • According to the ABC News, pouch tobacco is one of many smoking alternatives. It differs from pipe tobacco, since it is not burned. Pouch tobacco is also not loose, unlike its tin counterpart. A type of "smokeless" tobacco, pouch tobacco comes in containers with 12 small pouches. The tobacco is used by placing a pouch inside the mouth between the gums, usually behind the upper lip. It can remain there for up to 30 minutes before being thrown out. An advantage over-tin tobacco is that pouch tobacco does not require frequent spitting.

    Tin Tobacco

    • Tin tobacco, like pouch, is also a form of smokeless tobacco. The only real difference is that tin tobacco is kept in tins, while pouch tobacco is prepared in small pouches. Once again, it differs from pipe tobacco because it is not smoked. Tin tobacco is also known as snuff. The tobacco leaves are ground up and moist. A small amount is pinched between the fingers and put behind the bottom lip in a process known as dipping.

    Pipe Tobacco

    • Pipe tobacco is completely different from the pouch and tin products, since it is smoked instead of chewed. Pipes are constructed with things like wood, clay, corncob, glass, stone and wood. Alternately, water pipes, such as hookahs and bongs, are available. In this case, smoke is filtered through water to clean and cool it off. The tobacco is smoked by being placed in the pipe and lit.

    Health Hazards

    • It is common knowledge that smoking tobacco leads to a myriad of diseases, such as lung cancer. However, smokeless tobacco is not without its risks. Brad Rodu, Pathologist and University Professor at the University of Louisville Cancer Center, explains that mouth cancer is still a risk with smokeless tobacco, albeit much lower than with smoking. Jonathan Foulds, Director of the Tobacco Dependence Program in New Jersey, reports that the risk of mouth cancer is 90 percent lower than with smoking. However, Foulds warns that cancer is not the only threat. Smokeless tobacco is detrimental to oral health. They can wear away the gums and create mouth lesions. Also, there is no difference when it comes to pregnancy. Smokeless tobacco is just as harmful to pregnant women as smoking.

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