Dipping tobacco

Dipping tobacco is a type of finely ground or shredded, moistened smokeless tobacco product. It is commonly and idiomatically known as dip. Dipping tobacco is used by placing a pinch, or "dip", of tobacco between the lip and the gum (sublabial administration). The act of using it is called dipping. Dipping tobacco is colloquially called chaw, snuff, rub, or fresh leaf, among other terms; because of this, it is sometimes confused with other tobacco products, namely dry snuff.

Using dipping tobacco can cause various harmful effects such as oral, oesophageal, and pancreatic cancers, coronary heart disease, as well as negative reproductive effects including stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight. Dipping tobacco poses a lower health risk than traditional combusted products, however, it is not a healthy alternative to cigarette smoking. The level of risk varies between different types of products and producing regions. There is no safe level of dipping tobacco use. Globally it contributes to 650,000 deaths each year.

Dipping tobacco is packaged in "tins" or "cans", although they are not typically completely metal anymore. Dipping tobacco is also available in "rolls", "logs", or "sleeves", which is a package of 5 tins of tobacco, a similar concept to that of a carton of cigarettes. Ten tin rolls were also available in the past. Another package of dipping tobacco is the "tub", available in only select brands, equivalent to 6, 10, or 12 cans.

Before opening the can/tin of tobacco, users typically "pack" the can, similar to how cigarette smokers pack a pack of cigarettes. This is done by placing one's thumb and middle finger on the sides of the can, and then quickly turning the can and flicking the wrist so that one's index finger taps the top of the can.

Unlike snus, which is most often placed between the upper lip and gum, moist tobacco users or "dippers" tend to use the lower. Dipping in the upper lip is unusual, though when done, it is colloquially termed an "upper decker" or "top lip dip".^{[citation needed]} The dip rests on the inside lining of the mouth for a period depending upon the user's preference—often 20–40 minutes.^{[citation needed]} Nicotine and other alkaloids found in tobacco are absorbed in saliva sublabially by the inferior or superior labial arteries. Buccal and sublingual absorption may also occur.

Also unlike snus, dip often causes the user to produce excess saliva during the act of dipping. This is typically spat onto the ground or in a container, because swallowing the saliva-tobacco mixture can cause irritation to the esophagus and induce nausea and vomiting. A spittoon can be used, but often users will simply use an empty plastic bottle or a "mudjug," a portable spittoon. Smokeless tobacco is sometimes used in the workplace by employees, especially if the employer does not provide many cigarette breaks or if the employee is consistently using both hands during work (which doesn't provide opportunities for cigarette smoking). Smokeless tobacco is popular in many industrial areas where there is a safety risk in having an open flame, such as oil rigs or refineries.

Dipping tobacco was first popularized and marketed as moist snuff in the 1800s. The term "snuff" in this context is an English cognate of the aforementioned "snus", from Swedish. Dipping tobacco's Scandinavian roots impart a noticeable legacy on modern American brands such as Copenhagen and Skoal (referring to the interlinguistic term skål, which in Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese and Swedish roughly translates to "cheers", implying a toast).

A user of dipping tobacco will produce an excess amount of saliva which will be disposed of using a "spitter." A spitter can be an empty bottle, cup or commercially produced spittoon.