Dissolvable tobacco products are one of the latest smokeless tobacco products on the market and don’t require the user to chew or even spit. Although dissolvable tobacco products surfaced a few years ago with the introduction of Ariva lozenges and Stonewall Hard Snuff Tobacco dissolvable pellets, none of the major tobacco product manufacturers had entered the market until now. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company has recently begun test-marketing its three dissolvable tobacco products under the Camel brand name.

Types of Dissolvable Tobacco Products

There are three types of Camel dissolvable tobacco products now being test marketed in selected cities.

• The first are called Camel Orbs, which are mint-sized and last about 10- 15 minutes each before dissolving. Each orb contains about 1 milligram of nicotine, almost as much as one cigarette.
  
  
• The second are Camel Strips, which look like Listerine breath strips. The strip dissolves the quickest of the new products- about 2- 3 minutes- and contains about 0.6 milligrams of nicotine.
  
  
• The third are Camel Sticks, which are toothpick like in appearance. The stick lasts the longest of the three products- about 20- 30 minutes each- and contains the most nicotine, about 3.1 milligrams per stick, equivalent to the nicotine content in about two cigarettes.

Little is known about the health effects of using any of these dissolvable tobacco products, because they are such a new product.

Marketing Dissolvable Tobacco Products

RJ Reynolds began test marketing the Camel Orbs in January 2009 in Portland, Oregon, Columbus, Ohio, and Indianapolis. The Camel Strips and Sticks hit test markets in the same cities in July 2009. Although tobacco manufacturers say that these products are designed for adults, many health advocates and lawmakers disagree. The products are flavored and labeled either “Mellow” or “Fresh,” and they are packaged and sold in shiny cases. Some of the packaging resembles cell phones, and others look just like breath mints or candy, which could appeal to children.

Lawmakers pushed to have dissolvable products more closely studied under the new FDA Regulation of Tobacco Products legislation that was signed by President Obama in June 2009. In fact, under the new FDA authority, within 24 months of the establishment of the Tobacco Product Scientific Advisory Committee, the committee must issue a report on the impact of dissolvable tobacco products on public health, especially among youth.