What Is Snus?

Snus is a smokeless oral tobacco product that is finely ground and sold in a pouch form. Consumers place the pouch under the top of the lip. When snus is processed, it can involve tobacco pasteurization. This is when nitrate-forming microbes are removed. The process leads to lower levels of tobacco-specific nitrosamine content in the product. Due to this process, some researchers—and tobacco companies—report that snus is a less harmful alternative to smoking cigarettes.