In recognition of the fact that spit tobacco use is a serious threat to Texans' health, the Texas Cancer Council in 1996 funded and the Dental Oncology Education Program convened the Spit Tobacco Prevention Network (STOPN). The first charge of STOPN was to draft a strategic plan for the coordination and collaboration of spit tobacco education and prevention efforts in Texas. The Texas Spit Tobacco Education and Prevention Plan: A Guide for Action was the result.

A diverse group of agencies and individuals, the network is comprised of partners with varied perspectives, experiences, and resources. While fully utilizing resources and not duplicating the efforts of others, STOPN partners work together to incorporate spit tobacco initiatives into the activities of their individual organizations. Focus is placed on public and community education, health care professional education, public policy issues, and research and information.

The STOPN plan is designed to reduce spit tobacco use in Texas by providing education at many levels via an integrated and coordinated approach. Unique in its design, the Spit Tobacco Prevention Network believes that through integration and collaboration, spit tobacco's negative economic impact and adverse effects on Texans' health can be reduced.

• An estimated 6.8 million Americans currently use spit tobacco.
• Consumption of moist snuff and other spit tobacco products in the U.S. tripled from 1973 through 1991.
• Nearly 1 in 5 male students have used spit tobacco during the past month.
• The nicotine content in one "dip" of snuff can be four (4) times that of one (1) cigarette.
• 28 carcinogens have been identified in chewing tobacco and snuff.
• The risk of developing oral cancer for spit tobacco users ranges from two (2) to 11 times that of non-users.
• Only half of all oral cancer patients are alive five (5) years after diagnosis.