Chewing tobacco is a safe alternative to smoking.

Smokeless tobacco products are not a safe replacement for smoking. These products have serious health risks. All tobacco products contain the highly addictive drug nicotine, in fact, smokeless tobacco products generally deliver more nicotine than cigarettes. Youth who use smokeless tobacco also are more likely to become cigarette smokers.

Smokeless tobacco contains more than 25 cancer-causing compounds, including arsenic and formaldehyde. People who use these products have greater risk of developing cancers of the mouth and throat.

Smokeless tobacco use also is strongly associated with the formation of skin lesions in the mouth. These include leukoplakia (lu-ko-play-kee-uh), which are white patches that can turn into cancer over time, and erythroplakia (e-rith-ro-play-kee-uh), which are red patches that have a high potential for becoming cancerous.

Smokeless tobacco also is strongly associated with gum recession. Gum recession is not only unsightly; it increases one's risk of getting cavities on the tooth roots and can make teeth sensitive.

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