As I sit here with a dissolvable tobacco mint in my mouth, I wonder why it was ever made.

On Tuesday, a fellow editor asked me to try a new tobacco product. As a smoker, I was open to trying something new.

Known as Ariva, you place this mint-like tobacco product in your mouth and let it dissolve.

I’ve had this thing in my mouth for about 10 minutes, and I still want a cigarette.

Yes, I am addicted to nicotine, but I’ve always been a fan of smoking in general. Cigarettes are my break from everything going on in my life. Whenever I’m stressed, I light up a smoke. When I’m working, you can guarantee I’ll be outside every now and then puffing away.

But a tobacco mint? I don’t really see the need for it. I know there are situations where I might have a “nic fit,” but I’m pretty sure I can hold out for an hour or two before fulfilling my craving.

On the product’s Web site, goariva.com, it says it’s an alternative to cigarettes. I hope I’m not the only who thinks this is ridiculous. If you don’t want to smoke cigarettes, why not just quit? Take some Nicorette, get the patch or ween yourself off of them. This product still causes cancer, even though you’re not inhaling it.

I’m still trying to figure out how this product got on the market … maybe after a Camel Light, I’ll come up with the answer.

Katie Alberti is a senior magazine journalism major and news editor of the Stater. Contact her at [email protected].