18.8 percent of Caucasian high-school boys are current smokeless tobacco users. Among high school seniors who have ever used smokeless tobacco, almost three-fourths began by the ninth grade. Since 1970, smokeless tobacco has gone from a product used primarily by older men to one for which young men comprise the largest portion of the market. A similar pattern is evident for moist snuff, the most popular type of smokeless tobacco. Conversely, use among males 65 and older decreased by almost half - from 4 percent to 2.2 percent.
Some people believe that using smokeless tobacco is a safe alternative to smoking.
This is not true.