Women: Still Second-Class Citizens when it comes to Tobacco?

Planes, trains and rental cars, oh my.  I have been a smoker for a good 25 years at least.   In recent years, I’ve discovered Swedish snus.   Snus helps me though those times when the Anti-Tobacco Nazi’s have forbidden my adult, personal decision to use legal tobacco products but at their own peril.   Snus keeps me from ripping their heads off for preaching at me about my use of tobacco; especially cigarettes.

Here in Ohio, a smoking ban was put on the ballot in two different forms  One allowed for bars and places who received something like 80% of their income in the form of alcohol, to continue to allow smoking, but smokers would be under very restricted conditions  The other ballot option banned smoking altogether. Of course all the Anti-Tobacco Nazi’s said it was, “… For the Children!”.  OK, in some ways I will give them some places where I will not smoke. Schools, Hospitals;  I will even give in for a restaurant in which children may be present. But bars? Where one must be 21 to enter?  Now that is stepping over a fine line. I am not an unreasonable person; most cigarette and tobacco users are not.  But give me a break!

I go to a Catholic owned college in central Ohio where I am told if caught smoking on campus I can and will be fined starting at $20 for a first offense and up to a three day suspension from school for continued violations.  The average age of the students is 19 years old. At 18, a person can serve their country and vote… at 18 a person is considered an adult and allowed to buy tobacco products… but at 40 years old I am told I cannot even sit in MY car and smoke as long as I am on campus.

This is where my love of Snus comes in…

It is nice to sit in class with a lip full of snus while I smile at Sister so-and-so.  Many of my friends, who know I am a smoker, ask how I am not going mad in six plus hours of back to back classes and not want to rip the professor’s head off.   Sometimes I will stick my tongue out at them and show them my snus pouch when the professor is not looking.  And of course after class they start asking about it and where they can get some too. I direct them to the SnusCentral Snus Store for purchasing Real Swedish/Scandinavian snus and SnusCENTRAL.org and my husband’s articles, among others, for information, and advice.

[Editors Note: the references to SnusCENTRAL in the preceding paragraph were not mandated or requested plugs for the site.  This is Ms. Catherine’s article and feelings.  Love may, in part, have caused her to blatantly highlight her husband’s articles, which are outstanding too.  Isn’t that sweet?]

Recently, I had to spend a few days in the hospital for some tests. Nothing major; just a pain in the butt due to the fact it is the Central Headquarters of the Anti-Smoking-Nazi’s. You know how they are about any tobacco use.

My first night I couldn’t sleep;  who could, a strange place… with strange people… away from my husband.  Like most I like to smoke when I can’t sleep or I am nervous.  I did have the room all to myself, woo-hoo. Early the next morning I got a roommate.  Nice lady from the southern part of Ohio.  Her husband stayed with her and would only slip out and off campus when he could not stand the nicotine withdrawal any more.  While he was gone, she and I would talk about this and that and where her husband was off to and what he was doing.

When he came back we began to talk about where he went and why. I told him about my snus in my bag, which I thought he might be interested in. To my surprise my roommate became interested more than he was!  It turns out she used Copenhagen when she was at home, but had run out on the way to the hospital and being in a strange town was totally unsure where to find any. I smiled and asked her if she had ever heard of snus?  Then I  slipped her a portion of Fellinni mint snus.

She slipped it in and after a few minutes that familiar smile crossed her face. She asked a few more questions as to where she could get more and how I found out about it. Then she said she might just switch as she liked the flavor better than her usual brand, and heard there was other flavors like peach, strawberry and pear.

Even among tobacco users, women feel the need to be more discreet about their tobacco use. I even noticed myself trying to hide my snus use from others who might consider it an un-ladylike habit.

Usually I find men, who at first look at me strangely when I start to talk about snus, but as time goes by I have found more women who are interested in snus than men. Like myself, they are fascinated by the smaller mini portions, which are easier to hide, and the vast selection of flavors available.

It is nice to have a place like SnusCENTRAL.org to refer new snus friends and to keep in touch with others, like my new friends in FlorE-DUH!  SnusCENTRAL is also more than that: it’s also a place to exchange ideas on snus and share snus stories.   It is up to us few but proud Americans to teach and spread the word of Sweden’s worse kept secret; their snus.  SNUS is dead… Long live Real Snus!

Until Next Time,

Ms. Catherine

CATHERINE DeMARSH-HELLWIG
Fighting Tobacco Oppression with Real Snus!
Reporting for SnusCENTRAL.org