On smokeless tobacco, addictive behavior and warning labels

This article will offer three primary positions: First, it will support the use of a warning label on containers of smokeless tobacco and second, suggest that an alternative to the present warning statement be considered. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health--presently the first state to consider a warning label for smokeless tobacco--proposes a label that would read as follows: WARNING: Use of snuff is addictive and may cause mouth cancer and other mouth disorders. Third, this article will suggest that a warning label will not have any notable impact on the public health. In order to support these positions, the following discussion will briefly examine the relationship between chemical dependency, addictive behavior, tobacco smoking, and the use of warning labels as a deterrant to the use of smokeless tobacco.