Cigarette breaks at the office could be a thing of the past with the introduction of a new smokeless tobacco product — a discreet, miniature ”tea bag”.
An alternative to cigarettes, Snus is a small bag placed under the user’s upper lip, said British American Tobacco (BAT) South Africa MD David Crow.
”Snus is 90% less harmful than cigarette smoking and is completely non-combustible,” he said at BAT’s Johannesburg launch, part of a pilot project under way in four countries.
”The user places the bag under their lip and the body slowly absorbs the nicotine after a period of about half-an-hour.”
Snus will be sold in 241 outlets in Gauteng, under the brands Peter Stuyvesant and Lucky Strike, at a cost of R12 for a can of 24 bags.
”Research has shown that, on average, users will finish a can in about three days,” said Crow.
”Snus has roughly the same amount of nicotine as cigarettes, but is significantly less harmful.”
Crow said his company is testing the product in response to an overwhelming demand for healthier nicotine products.
Snus contains no tar and will be strictly regulated, like cigarettes, with health warnings on every can.
”This is all brand-new and very exciting,” Crow said. ”The response so far has been stunning and we are interested to see how consumers will respond to the new smoking culture.” — Sapa