On the heels of the death of baseball legend Tony Gwynn from salivary gland cancer due to the use of smokeless tobacco, Major League Baseball's Commissioner and Player Association President have committed to examine its policies on the use of the product, and will consider a potential ban.

Commissioner Bud Selig and Player Association President Tony Clark discussed the issue on the eve of the All Star Game being played in Minneapolis, and said that the idea of a ban will be discussed as part of ongoing labor talks, though neither seemed ready to outlaw the use of the product. Chewing tobacco use is banned in the minor leagues.

Still, other health advocacy groups have seized on Gwynn's death as an opportunity to call for a more extreme approach:

The American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and seven other public health organizations recently wrote a letter to Selig and Clark advocating an outright ban, saying that tobacco use "endangers the health of Major League ballplayers" and "sets a terrible example for the millions of young people who watch baseball at the ballpark or on TV."