Now it is time to advertise one of the greatest tobacco products of all time, the SNUS! It is extremely popular in Sweden and well known in other Scandinavian countries, and it has usage in Russia, Baltic States and Germany. Because of the Evil Union (EU), it is illegal to sell and produce it in any other country within the union, with Sweden as the great exception. This post was inspired by the Britons whining how they no longer can smoke inside their PUB's, as they obviously have missed the greatest tobacco product ever produced.
Ettan, one of the most popular Snus Brands of Sweden.
So what is Snus? Basically, it is the same as Dipping Tobacco in the States, which was brought to the New World by the Swedish immigrants. The differences are in the composition and the way the product is used. Snus can be used in much smaller doses and the nicotine in it goes directly through the "skin" ("mucous embrane" was the only translation I could find.) of mouth to your body. "Loose Snus" is sold as moist powder that you have to shape and portion it yourself to a form that is called "pinch". Unlike the dipping tobacco, it does not require saliva to deliver the nicotine, actually the drier the "embrane" the better, and because of that, it does not generate the excess amount of saliva like dipping tobacco does so there is no need to spit all the time. Thanks to that, you can use it in pretty much anywhere quite undetected. It is usually placed under the upper lip ("upper decker"), and when placed there, you can even drink beer, as the "pinch" does not affect the taste of the drink. Also unlike the dipping tobacco, there is no fear of swallowing the saliva, which can cause vomiting and nausea, as the ingridients of Snus do not mix up with it.
Like dipping tobacco, Snus is much healthier than smoking, actually the newest Swedish researches claim it has no negative effects on health at all. It has much larger doses of nicotine in it than cigarettes and you can keep a pinch in your mouth for a long time, so basically your need of nicotine is satisfied all the time.
It is also sold in portions, where it is already portioned in pinches at the factory. The portion bags resemble teabags and they are used the same way as the "original" pinch, with the bag. I for one would never use "loose snus" because it can get messy if you are new to the stuff, and walking around the streets with brown teeth is not something I'd like to do. That is why I prefer the portions, they are easy to use in a Pub for example, as you don't have to make the pinch yourself and the stuff stays intact in the bag for sure. It is great stuff for nicotine addict in places where you can't smoke, that is what I learned in the army. It is also used by many athletes, as you can use it during performance.
Portion Bag. They are usually little smaller than average man's fingertip.
So, if it is allowed to sell Snus in your country, throw your cigarettes to trash can and go get some, as it is in all ways much better stuff than any other tobacco product. Sad thing is that it is illegal in UK, so you Britons have to cope with the fact that you can't get your nicotine doses in Pubs. Actually it is illegal in Finland also, but you are allowed to bring it from Sweden as much as you like. It should be legal in Russia, Norway and the United States, atleast.
This drunkness-inspired Advertisement ends here. Now you can return to your miserable cigarette-filled lives and die of lung cancer while the Swedes stay as healthy as ever.