“I know that I can quit so I’m not bothered about it. And also, I’m sorry, but snus is just not cool.”
Come the New Year, it will be illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. This is part of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s aim to create a “smoke-free” generation. Does this mean the era of the rebel student smoker will perish, to be replaced by the snus and vape users — or will nicotine use cease in its entirety?
An estimated 28 young adults (aged 18-25) start smoking every day in Scotland. This places a significant strain on the National Health Service (NHS); smoking is responsible for 20 per cent of deaths in Scotland annually, and is the leading preventable cause of death in the UK.
Students may be aware of the health risks, but clearly this is not enough to prevent the use of nicotine products. Rather, a hierarchy of harmfulness has emerged. Smokers turn to vaping to limit their tobacco intake, and vapers turn to snus to limit lung inhalation. Albeit, this then places the gums in the firing line.
Students I spoke to were caught in a strange debate over whether smoking, vaping, or snus is better for you. Is it better to have less harm from tobacco, or to sign up to unknown long-term consequences?
One fourth-year student knows the impact on his health, but says he uses snus up to 15 times a day to “put his mind at ease.” He started vaping at 16 and switched to snus two years ago. He’s unsure whether snus helps him focus, or whether he feels less distracted because he’s got rid of his cravings.
It’s unclear to what extent nicotine targets increasing attention, as opposed to simply relieving withdrawal. A 2011 lab study on attention and inhibitory control in healthy non-smokers suggests nicotine does little to boost cognitive function in people who don’t already use it. Inconsistent results suggest that nicotine as a focus aid depends on whether your body is used to it or not.
As one student said: “I’m not thinking about having it, because I’m scratching that itch.”
Cost-efficiency is a key focus for students. Smoking is not a cheap habit, and some students have turned to snus as a more cost-efficient route. However, the cost depends entirely on how much of your product of choice you consume. One female student who rolls her own cigarettes spends £15 a month, by buying tobacco exclusively from duty-free sources: “I would never buy tobacco from the supermarket in England. If I couldn’t buy it from duty-free, I’d quit smoking.”
High UK tax rates make cigarettes far more expensive than elsewhere in Europe. Although snus appears to be cheaper at around £6 a box, one student I spoke to claimed he spent £20-£30 per week, consuming one pot every 2 days.
There is a judgemental tension between the advocates for nicotine form. Since the disposable vape craze, you can’t escape the tiny micro wands poof-ing out a sweet puff of chemical cloud. According to the BBC, the number of vape users who have never smoked has risen to over a million, which means vaping is sought out in spite of the cigarette “aesthetic.” Having said that, both snus and cigarette users I spoke to banded together against vaping’s “cringey” appearance.
Some students argue that smoking has an “aesthetic” edge. Indeed, the European culture of chic smoking is paving its way back into pop culture, on magazine covers, and in many of young people’s most-watched TV shows. Is smoking common amongst other universities?
“If you went to somewhere like Bristol, I’d say they probably all do [smoke]. I don’t know. It’s definitely more of a European thing.”
Appearances aside, the common denominator between this battle of products was that all students still ingesting nicotine at university, started well before they became students. One student reported having been “in denial” about his nicotine addiction since he was 14. Another has used a vape since he was 15 and has swapped between tobacco, vapes, and snus over the past eight years.
Nicotine, in its various forms, is hard to miss around the University of Edinburgh campus. Regardless of how academically stimulating, or how expensive it is, students keep to their addictive nectar due to habit. The new rules will make tobacco impossible to buy for anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, so maybe in time, smoking will ease out of student life. Snus and vapes however, are another matter entirely.
Photo by Andres Siimon on Unsplash.
