It is brown, sticky and can cover your teeth in discoloured drool – but Snus might be gaining ground as the answer for smokers wanting to give up.

Pronounced Snooss, this moist tobacco powder, made in Sweden since the 19th century, is proving a hit worldwide, with sales by manufacturer Swedish Match booming in the US and Canada.

Snus is unlike either snuff, which is sniffed, or chewing tobacco, which releases nicotine only when chomped on. Instead, users squeeze it into rabbit dropping-sized pellets or use pre-packed sachets that look like miniature teabags, slipping them under the upper lip for up to an hour. Absorbed into the bloodstream through the lip, Snus has a softer but longer nicotine buzz than cigarettes.

Described as "something they would use in the far northern backwoods" by fan Marcus Rosengren, well-to-do Swedes once considered the use of Snus a bit coarse. In the past 30 years, however, many have switched to it from cigarettes, giving Sweden the lowest number of smokers in Europe. Now North Americans are increasingly buying Snus as a way either to quit or to beat smoking bans. Meanwhile, in Europe, the Swedes are lobbying to quash an EU ban that permits the consumption of Snus but bans its sale.

Though Snus has been linked to raised blood pressure and an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, it is not as harmful as smoking. Sweden has the lowest rate of tobacco-related diseases in the west, and a low rate of the oral cancers Snus was once thought to encourage. Because it doesn't lead to passive smoking, it is also less antisocial.

But it does have its downsides. "I find it very addictive, just as much as cigarettes," says Jon Hedelien, who gets through three boxes a day. And while it won't make your clothes stink, it does have a major antisocial drawback. As Rosengren points out: "I wouldn't want to snog anyone when I was using Snus: it makes your breath pretty strong."