Teens sneak snuff at school regardless of rules

By Whitney Burdette
Riverside High School

“I am addicted to smokeless tobacco,” admitted Ryan*, a student at Riverside. “I wish I wasn’t because it’s hard to go a long time without it. It makes me feel weak when I don’t get it for a long time.”

This is a problem for Ryan because the Kanawha County School policy clearly states that the possession of any form of tobacco is prohibited. However, students who are addicted to any form of tobacco product will still use it. They just have to sneak around in order to do so.

For a long time, schools have been concerned about students smoking cigarettes in the building. However, a number of teens, particularly boys, use smokeless tobacco rather than cigarettes.

The county’s policy says that students caught with tobacco must attend smoking cessation classes, and if caught a second time, they may have criminal charges filed against them in magistrate court.

“I just try to be smart and stay away from administrators,” said Ryan. “I’ve never been caught with snuff, even though I carry it every day.”

However, Steve*, another Riverside student, doesn’t bring his snuff inside the school building. “I keep it in my vehicle,” he said. “I don’t chew inside school, just before and after.”

“The only time I put it in is when no one is around — maybe one teacher at most,” said Ryan. He also explained that he spits in a bottle and only puts in a small amount so that he doesn’t get caught as easily.

It’s not just school that underage tobacco users have to worry about, though. They can also get in trouble outside of school. It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to buy any form of tobacco, yet many of the tobacco users at Riverside are minors.

Users will find any resource they can in order to get their hands on snuff, though.

“My friends who are seniors buy the snuff for me,” said Ryan. “I get the money from working.”

Steve, however, buys his own snuff. “I buy it with gas money or the money I make myself.”

Both students are victims of peer pressure. They started at a young age and say that their friends are the reason that they use smokeless tobacco.

“I started rubbing in middle school when I was playing football,” said Ryan. “A friend on the football team offered me a dip after practice one day.”

Steve also started through sports. “I was at a wrestling tournament, and one of my friends gave me a chew,” he said. “I never quit.”

With organizations such as Raze spreading the message against tobacco, it is hard for students to ignore the major consequences, such as mouth cancer, that snuff can cause. These clubs try to make students realize how dangerous tobacco can be, but sometimes their addiction can cause users to ignore the consequences, especially if they aren’t immediate.

“The men who have had cancer do make me feel worried when I see them,” said Ryan. “The disfigurement is the scary part.”

“The thought is scary, but I try not to think about it,” he continued. “It doesn’t worry me that much right now, but I’m sure it will eventually.”

Steve isn’t worried at all, though. “I know it’s a reality, but anymore everything causes cancer,” he said.

* names have been changed