Most consumers understand tobacco's dangers, but they still love the ritual of smoking, chewing, and the head rush that nicotine provides. This habit has led to a search for comparable products, and the market has responded quickly with innovative technology targeting specific elements that tobacco users crave. For example, vapes and e-cigarettes help consumers get the sensation of smoking—some even deliver nicotine to help eliminate withdrawal symptoms.

But in recent years, smokers have turned to CBD products to help reduce the anxiety associated with kicking the habit. New brands are popping up everywhere, selling CBD oil, unprocessed flower, pre-rolled smokeable, edibles, and just about any other format you can think of. For example, Beyond Tobacco contains no nicotine or tobacco, but it looks and feels like a real cigarette. And provides chew aficionados with the same taste and texture of smokeless tobacco and medical-grade nicotine.

Can CBD Really Replace Tobacco?

While the wellness market is hoping for the next cure-all in CBD, the evidence is still nonconclusive. CBD is mostly unregulated by the FDA, and more research is needed to understand the efficacy of CBD for most uses and its long-term health impacts.

But initial feedback has been encouraging, and researchers have not shown that CBD has significant long-term adverse effects on the body. In light of all this, the CBD industry might be poised to experience another boom in the "beyond tobacco" movement.

The great Beyond

Some consumers want to have the look, sensation, and flavor of a regular cigarette. The crackle of lighting up and flicking of the ashes are just as much a part of the habit as the tobacco and nicotine themselves, and many enjoy the act of smoking.

The last few years have seen a proliferation of “Beyond” products that mimic less healthy options, and the shift is indicative of people desiring a more conscious lifestyle. Beyond Meat and Beyond Dairy are now popular items. Burger King is even featuring Beyond Meat products in its Impossible Whopper.

Beyond Tobacco is the next big product, and a July 2020 test run saw the product sell out with in 72 hrs of hitting the shelves. Consumers make it clear that they want products that offer similar experiences to what they know while considering a new approach.

Keep the dip, skip the tobacco

While the tobacco market is flooded with products that help people move away from smoking, few address the needs of people who chew. Black Buffalo’s smokeless tobacco alternative provides consumers with the ritual they love, the flavors they want, and the nicotine they crave, without the use of tobacco leaves and stems.

While chewers do not inhale tobacco, the curing and fermenting process for chew lead to a buildup of carcinogens on the leaves used. Smokeless tobacco comes with its own set of dangers , including putting users at higher risk of oral and throat cancers, digestive problems, and more.

Black Buffalo makes pouches and long-cut tobacco-free dip packaged in tins that have the same look as popular items found in convenience stores and gas stations everywhere. The texture and the flavors are authentic, and they are nearly identical to traditional products. And for people who want to try something different, Black Buffalo smokeless tobacco alternative also comes in fun, fruity flavors.

New product for old habits

Consumers want to make more conscious decisions about what goes into their bodies, but they still want to keep the customary and social traditions they know and love. With more recent FDA rules in place, alternative products such as CBD are more regulated than before, making it possible to have both. Consumers now can choose items made by companies concerned with compliance and transparency while replacing popular items that are less desirable than they used to be.

With a shifting consumer landscape, this is an exciting time in the tobacco industry. Companies are seizing the opportunity to change, and customers embrace the new choices they now have. Look out for a completely different way of enjoying old habits as people keep their rituals while moving on from tobacco.