Fond farewell to a friend (about the why)
It’s now been 9 day’s since I took my last snus, and as I wrote the first day I was off Snus - I’m now back to explain why.
A good friend of mine, Daniel Carlsson, read my post about me giving up Snus. He said that he demanded answers - that me quitting felt like the Gods had turned their backs away from him and his Snus. (I found that comment very very funny.)
I’m afraid there isn’t a single easy answer to The Why. It’s more like 3 answers… and none of them are really that good.
1) I actually lost a bet to a friend, Mr Tall. I told Mr Tall that if he managed to quit Snus & cigarets - I would quit Snus. He quit both and is now addicted to the gym and his running shoes - but that’s a different story.
2) I told a lot of friends that if Marlboro started selling Snus - I would quit. Prince and Lucky Strike is close enough.
which leads me into the long number 3.
3) Snus. Snus has been around in Sweden for about 200 years. So Snus is nothing new. Snus is a smokeless tobacco product that is used orally, but is not burned. Snus is the ‘Next Big Thing’ according to a lot of marketing strategists and market analysers. Now why is that? How can something that has been around for about 200 years, and is illegal to sell in most countries, all of the sudden be the ‘Next Big Thing’?
When Sweden were about to enter the European Union, the EU said, “We can’t allow Snus. We already have enough problems with cigarette and we are not interested in another nicotine/tobacco product.” Sweden then said, “We will not join the EU without our Snus!”, so they meet halfway; Sweden can have their Snus, but are not allowed to sell the product outside the borders of Sweden… this was 1994 - 12 years ago…
Now, this is taken from British American Tobacco, abbreviates to BAT, website, posted 28 June 2006:
British American Tobacco is to extend its test markets for smokeless Swedish-style snus and open its own snus research facility, underlining its commitment to develop and market less harmful tobacco products.
This is nothing new to me. Since I have been a Snusare for about… what is it? about 14 years now? and am living in a country where its, for now, illegal to sell, and since I do what I do for a living… I know these kind of things. I know it but know what? I don’t like it!
I don’t like that the culture of Snus will just be wheeled over by cigaret giants.
I don’t like that now, when they are putting smoke bans in pub’s and restaurants around Europe, that they see a market for another tobacco product, that they see profit… what happened/will happen to the law?
I don’t like that BAT go on and on about how they are doing this for it is less harmful for everyone then smoking… just now… when smoking is gonna get a rough time they start to have a conscience?
I don’t like what capitalism is doing to our society.
I don’t like that they stated in their report that when Snus been introduced in a country not familiar with the Snus - Snus is only bought by smokers… I don’t like that they will lay this on smokers - look like saviors - but are only after the money.
I don’t like big corporations talking a lot of bollocks.
