To chew or not to chew, that is the question? Smokeless tobacco products have begun to sweep over our school’s male population Whether the boys are doing it for the “buzz” it induces, the “friendships” it will bring, or the “stress relieving properties” it has, many boys evidently enjoy smokeless tobacco, in spite of its well-known health risks.

One dip of chew provides as much nicotine as three and a half cigarettes. To put that into better perspective for teenagers who have tried vaping, one chew is equivalent to vaping .3mg nicotine juice for two days straight. Nicotine is the addictive chemical additive in all tobacco products that induces that often pursued “buzz.”

Even some of our beloved teachers have been taken by the addictive properties of chewing tobacco. For example, Mr. Burgesser has been chewing for quite sometime now. His tobacco use started right after high school and he has not been able to quit. However, for some of our teachers, it is just too much to handle. Mr. Wheeler said he has tried chewing multiple times, but it was, “Too crazy for me, man.”

There is still hope for the Broomfield boys. Like Mr. Wheeler, some people cannot handle the dip for a multiplicity of reasons including taste, texture, the nicotine, or they are just completely disgusted by it. Take senior Matt Gasser for example, he said he has not chewed before because he finds it “[s]o disgusting. It makes me sick thinking of trying it.” Gasser admits that he is friends with people who do it and who have asked him to try it multiple times, but he has stayed strong against the peer pressure.

Peer pressure is not the only reason teenagers try or continue to dip. Senior Taylor Helms said, “I started chewing freshman year. I was going through some hard times then and was told it helps with stress, so I tried it. I kept dipping all the way until this year. At the beginning of school, I realized that it wasn’t really helping me. So I just stopped. Yeah, I quit right then.”

Even though Helms has stopped and has not tried it again since, most people who attempt to stop chewing relapse because of its extremely addictive properties. Common side effects of quitting tobacco after chewing heavily include anxiety, depression, insomnia, restlessness, and mouth sores. In some people’s minds, these reasons are too challenging to overcome and quitting is seemingly not an option. Despite these facts, many people are ignoring the reality that there is a twenty percent increase in oral cancer risk.

The question, “To chew or not to chew?” has an obvious answer. Nonetheless, you make the call. Will you succumb to the peer pressure and false sense of help smokeless tobacco offers, or will you keep your mouth clean and lips and teeth intact?