The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and academic researchers are examining whether smokeless-tobacco products can potentially be viewed as a safer alternative to smoking, the Winston-Salem Journal reported Nov. 1.

The NCI has funded research into whether products like snus and dissolvable tobacco pellets can be a "truly less-harmful alternative to conventional tobacco products, both at the individual and population level." A spokesperson for tobacco company R.J. Reynolds said the firm backs studies on tobacco harm-reduction strategies but does not market its smokeless-tobacco products as a smoking-cessation tool.

Knowledge about the health impact of modified tobacco products is lacking, the NCI said, and the studies funded by the agency will help determine the health risks of smokeless tobacco products; whether these products encourage smoking, especially among young users; and whether it is appropriate to allow snus and other smokeless products to be sold as 'reduced risk' alternatives to smoking.

As smoking rates have dropped, U.S. tobacco companies have made more investments in smokeless-tobacco products.