Federal officials routinely obfuscate on the subject of smokeless
tobacco, and particularly on the number of smokeless users in the U.S.
The newest numbers are reported by Dr. Rachel Lipari and Mr.
Struther Van Horn of the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA). They say, “In 2014, an estimated 8.7 million people
aged 12 or older used smokeless tobacco in the past month.” (available here) Their finding is based on data from the
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH).
That number included teens (Age 12-17 years). When including only adults (18 and older),
the NSDUH estimate is 8.1 million in 2014, which contrasts with a 2015 CDC-supported
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) adults-only estimate of 5.1 million.
The 59% higher NSDUH number probably results from the use of different definitions. NSDUH collects information on past-30 day
use, whereas current users in NHIS is every day or some days.
The primary conclusion in the Lipari/Van Horn report is that
“Smokeless tobacco is not a healthy alternative to cigarette smoking.” This is a non sequitur, as the NSDUH survey includes
no information on health.
The government inconsistency also extends to smoking numbers,
as I discussed previously (here,
here
and here). The NSDUH estimate of adult
U.S. smokers for 2014 was 55.8 million, about 40% higher than the NHIS estimate
of 40 million for that year.
It is time for federal officials to acknowledge the gross
inconsistency of the government’s tobacco use estimates. In all likelihood, the
higher NSDUH estimates, which reflect the fact that Americans use tobacco
products more irregularly than every day or some days, are closer to reality than
those based on the NHIS.