Surgeon General Warns of Snuff

WASHINGTON —  Smokeless tobacco products, used by at least 12 million Americans last year, can cause cancer and are not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes, a report for the surgeon general said today.

Surgeon General C. Everett Koop said the report, the first comprehensive review of smokeless tobacco and health, is “very analogous” to a milestone 1964 report that warned of the risks of smoking. “My message is the same as it is for smoking,” said Koop, who released the report at a Capitol Hill news conference. “If you chew, quit. If you don’t, don’t start. It is not the sign of a macho personality. It is not a sign of virility.”