CBS News 60 Minutes segment on smokefree tobacco

[Bill Godshall]

Preview: Going Smokeless
As cigarette sales plunge, tobacco companies are marketing smokeless products to skirt smoking bans and keep customers. Lesley Stahl investigates the pros and cons, Sunday, April 4, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

See full preview at:
http://www.cbsnews.com:80/video/watch/?id=6353825n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel


The story also will be available in its entirety at www.60Minutes.com after the show.

 

[Stubby]

You can listen to a interview with Lesley Stahl about the upcoming story on snus

On '60 Minutes' With Lesley Stahl: Snus ? The Safer Cigarette? | wowOwow

Might actually by somewhat fair and balanced.

 

[CES]

You can listen to a interview with Lesley Stahl about the upcoming story on snus

On '60 Minutes' With Lesley Stahl: Snus ? The Safer Cigarette? | wowOwow

Might actually by somewhat fair and balanced.

I just listened- it sounded very good. I hope the full story keeps the focus on harm reduction as much as the promo did

 

[TropicalBob]

Hard to overemphaize how critically important this 60 Minutes report will be for the future health of smokers and non-smokers alike. If harm reduction gets a fair shake, it will win over the masses with the logic of it. If the anti's have their way, there can only be a world without tobacco and/or nicotine non-medicinal products. That's their idea of harm reduction. Quit or die.

Leslie Stahl is an excellent reporter. Expect the anti's to have their say, but let's hope our logical position for harm reduction prevails.

I do not expect even one sentence on e-cigarettes, by the way. This report is about smokeless tobacco products -- and that's not us in the minds of most and the regulatory agencies.

 

[Momba]

THis could make or break us with the elderly community that watches 60 minutes!

 

[Momba]

Also may a supporting member or someone well versed in the English dialect please sign up and give a linky to ECF. Some place where guests can see tutorials and recommendations

 

[firechick]

WOW. 20 analogs and 10 portions a day? This guy is not likely to represent the average user. He brushes his teeth with a portion in?!?! OK, he is DEFINITELY not the average snus user. They could have picked a more average user to interview.

The Swedish expert they interviewed seems very knowledgeable, and was pretty forward about the reduced harm nature of snus. All in all, I think this was one of the better segments I've seen.

Of course, the anti view that people will be like the first guy and smoke and snus at the same time and kill ourselves faster. They were kind of using the fact that snus cannot be advertised in the U.S. as reduced harm, and are advertised as something to use between smokes, to prove their point.

And they just had to finish off with "it's marketed to kids!", and the "You just have to QUIT or DIE" anti rant.

 

[Territoo]

The part I liked was that there was mention of the research in support of harm reduction w/ the use of snus while the anti just spouted off her opinions w/o any mention of scientific evidence. They had to throw in "marketed for children", though.

 

[The Wiz]

WOW. 20 analogs and 10 portions a day? This guy is not likely to represent the average user. He brushes his teeth with a portion in?!?! OK, he is DEFINITELY not the average snus user. They could have picked a more average user to interview.

The Swedish expert they interviewed seems very knowledgeable, and was pretty forward about the reduced harm nature of snus. All in all, I think this was one of the better segments I've seen.

Of course, the anti view that people will be like the first guy and smoke and snus at the same time and kill ourselves faster. They were kind of using the fact that snus cannot be advertised in the U.S. as reduced harm, and are advertised as something to use between smokes, to prove their point.

And they just had to finish off with "it's marketed to kids!", and the "You just have to QUIT or DIE" anti rant.

firechick...I fully expected to hear an opposing point of veiw.The marketing to kids approach has been done with e-cigs already..so no new news there. Unfortunatly the "Anti" interveiwed in that segment continued to speculate that "Duel Use" of tobacco products will eventually be "The Norm". I think differently....there have been many success stories from smokers who have made a complete switch to snus(and snuff)..Sweden is a perfect example...The "Anti" must have missed that part!

All in all I thought it was a step in the right direction for showing snus as a safer alternative to smoking!

Plus I really got a kick out of the Snus Vending Machine!!(Must have been in Sweden...he bought some General Mini Mint)

The Wiz!

 

[voltaire]

Here's a link to the actual story instead of the preview:
Going Smokeless - 60 Minutes - CBS News

 

[rothenbj]

firechick...I fully expected to hear an opposing point of veiw.The marketing to kids approach has been done with e-cigs already..so no new news there. Unfortunatly the "Anti" interveiwed in that segment continued to speculate that "Duel Use" of tobacco products will eventually be "The Norm". I think differently....there have been many success stories from smokers who have made a complete switch to snus(and snuff)..Sweden is a perfect example...The "Anti" must have missed that part!

All in all I thought it was a step in the right direction for showing snus as a safer alternative to smoking!

Plus I really got a kick out of the Snus Vending Machine!!(Must have been in Sweden...he bought some General Mini Mint)

The Wiz!

At least, it would have been nice if he'd have pulled out a pv instead of a cig. I'm sure they could have found someone.

I wish that woman would have worried about her own health instead of mine. Again we needed someone tell us children were the only reason for flavors.

Overall good reduced harm segment, we need more off that.

 

[Territoo]

Of course, in order to be balanced, they had to have an anti, but fortunately they didn't pick one that was very convincing.

 

[The Wiz]

At least, it would have been nice if he'd have pulled out a pv instead of a cig. I'm sure they could have found someone.

I wish that woman would have worried about her own health instead of mine. Again we needed someone tell us children were the only reason for flavors.

Overall good reduced harm segment, we need more off that.

roth...I think Tropical Bob mentioned earlier in this thread that the e-cig would not be mentioned...He was right!

I do concur....anything showing reduced harm is a win!!

The Wiz!

 

[TropicalBob]

All in all, it was a great piece, a major boost for harm reduction. The snus user is not that atypical at all, and, in fact, was great looking, intelligent and spoke with honesty and conviction. He came off very well.

The Swedish doctor was fantastic and his quote about better to be a nicotine addict that a lung cancer victim should become a poster for harm reduction.

The anti woman looked like a personal health flop, did not reference any science or studies, as the Swedish doctor did, and spouted a bottom line quit or die position that, sooner or later, the non-smoking world will get sick of hearing, especially when lives could be saved if smokers switched to snus or cut back on number of cigarettes smoked.

All in all, this was great for the cause of harm reduction, a category in which e-cigs now find themselves positioned. It's the only logical course of action, but will never win over antis who want only a world without tobacco products and nicotine addicts, even if that means thousands of smokers must die each year because they were denied less harmful alternatives for their addiction.

That is a mentally bankrupt position -- and pieces like this can help expose that.

I anticipated this 60 Minutes piece with trepidation; I'm very happy now.

And I write this with an Ettan snus in place!

 

[The Wiz]

All in all, it was a great piece, a major boost for harm reduction. The snus user is not that atypical at all, and, in fact, was great looking, intelligent and spoke with honesty and conviction. He came off very well.

The Swedish doctor was fantastic and his quote about better to be a nicotine addict that a lung cancer victim should become a poster for harm reduction.

The anti woman looked like a personal health flop, did not reference any science or studies, as the Swedish doctor did, and spouted a bottom line quit or die position that, sooner or later, the non-smoking world will get sick of hearing, especially when lives could be saved if smokers switched to snus or cut back on number of cigarettes smoked.

All in all, this was great for the cause of harm reduction, a category in which e-cigs now find themselves positioned. It's the only logical course of action, but will never win over antis who want only a world without tobacco products and nicotine addicts, even if that means thousands of smokers must die each year because they were denied less harmful alternatives for their addiction.

That is a mentally bankrupt position -- and pieces like this can help expose that.

I anticipated this 60 Minutes piece with trepidation; I'm very happy now.

And I write this with an Ettan snus in place!

LOL.....Next week on 60 minutes "Nasal Snuff"(One can dream can't they?)

The Wiz!

 

[shelbyman]

Here's a link to the actual story instead of the preview:
Going Smokeless - 60 Minutes - CBS News

Thanks! I forgot all about the episode.

 

[carlton]

I just love it when people ignore the empirical evidence and stick to their preconceptions no matter what.

Evidence:
Sweden has a greatly reduced smoking rate and a significant drop in lung cancer.

Reply:
But it's marketed to kids (like cigarettes aren't) and what about the 1% of the smokers who will smoke AND use whatever. That already happens with the patches and gum.

It's like when the Atkin's diet first took off and all of the health scientists refused to believe that it worked like it does. I saw two friends lose 100+ pounds and that was all the evidence I needed.

 

[Rosa]

This whole argument (harm reduction vs. quitting) is just exactly like the argument about whether it's better to promote abstinence vs. birth control. Who's winning that one BTW? I can't keep track. I'm speechless that people still believe they can make us so uncomfortable that we will quit (or be abstinent). It never worked for me: when the bars went smokeless I just quit going.

 

[Dredbull]

They should have put a small section that is now in danger of being taxed and limited into nothing.

 

[Mister]

I thought it a very well presented segment.

The anti woman seemed a bit rabid, an accurate presentation and I think many will see that.

I hope that 60 Minutes will do an equally well researched segment on e-cigs in the near future.