MLB labor deal bans smokeless tobacco for new players; cancer-fighting groups cheer

A provision in Major League Baseball’s five-year labor deal would ban new players from using an old-time staple of the dugout — chewing tobacco.

The collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union bans all players from using smokeless tobacco in cities that have barred its use in sports venues, including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

Cancer-fighting groups cheered the news.

“Prohibiting the use of smokeless tobacco by incoming MLB players and enforcing city-wide tobacco-related regulations will help us move closer to making the next generation of baseball tobacco free,” said Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.

The society said smokeless tobacco has at least 28 known carcinogens and can lead to cancer in the mouth, pancreatic and esophagus.

It can also lead to nicotine addiction and issues such as gum disease, tooth decay and mouth lesions, it said.