Published 2006-01-30T00:00:00Z”/>

Tanya Roscorla

The Greek party scene has become a popular spot for tobacco companies to hand out free chewing tobacco samples this year.

Marketers for the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. have passed out free samples of chewing tobacco at fraternity parties hosted by Alpha Gamma Rho, AGR’s contact J.W. Dell’Orto said.

The company also sponsors one or two AGR socials every semester, agriculture business major Trent Stiefvater said. Stiefvater is not a member of AGR. He said he has accepted free tobacco samples at fraternity parties but he does not chew, so he gives them to his friends.

“I tried chew once; puked my guts out,” Stiefvater said.

The AGR fraternity member who works for the company and hands out samples at AGR parties refused to answer any questions about the company and its marketing practices after consulting the company’s lawyer.

Shekhar Misra, the chair of finance and marketing at Chico State, said if companies can associate products like tobacco with a positive experience, they will gain business. Because drinking is a major part of parties in Chico and people who drink are frequently in as positive emotional state, they would be more likely to continue using a product they sampled at a party, Misra said.

People also frequently sample products that take the least amount of money, Misra said. By giving out free samples, the tobacco company is increasing its chances of getting people to buy its product, she said.

“If you can reduce the cost of a trial, a lot more people will try the product,” Misra said.

Misra also said he thinks the tobacco company’s marketing practices take advantage of people who are not in a normal state of mind. A project manager from the Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center agrees.

Shauna Quinn said the company’s marketing practices take advantage of people. The advertising is irresponsible and should be confined to magazine and store advertisements, Quinn said.

Chewing tobacco is addictive, messy and unpleasurable, she said. It is also a leading cause of mouth and tongue cancer and grinds the teeth’s enamel down because of its abrasive qualities. While tobacco gives chewers a little bit of energy, it does not give them an emotional high or increased sensation like alcohol does, Quinn said.

“I would never want to kiss anyone who chews,” Quinn said.

Sixty-four percent of Chico State students have chewed, smoked or snuffed tobacco in their lifetimes, according to a spring 2003 CADEC survey of 1,319 randomly selected students. The same survey also showed that 34 percent use tobacco every 30 days and 20 percent use tobacco three or more times a week.

Quinn said CADEC partnered with the American Lung Association in fall 2004 to offer group sessions to help students quit smoking or chewing tobacco, but only three people showed up.

“This age group doesn’t really see smoking as a problem,” she said.

Animal science major Marie Ussery said she has family and friends who chew and “in some senses it’s a little more considerate” because chewing only affects the user, unlike smoking.

Tom Martin, an agriculture business major, said most people he knows started chewing while they were intoxicated and chew for social reasons. Martin said he has accepted tobacco samples before and liked getting free samples but did not enjoy the product. Chewing tobacco is a personal choice, Martin said.

“It doesn’t make ’em worse people, but it hurts their teeth,” Martin said.