When David Decided to Dip Differently

He grew up on a tobacco farm. It was his dad's and his granddad's before that. He fondly remembers high school days that were excused for priming tobacco and proudly recalls how hard the work was. Sweltering heat and tar stickied hands that shaped him and what he thinks of hard work.

“Tobacco built this place,” he says. “It built my family.”

David doesn’t hate tobacco. He actually likes it. The flavor. The feel. The rhythm of it. Just like coal in West Virginia or oil in Texas, he sees the industry that built everything he sees up and down the road a little differently than visitors.

But a few years ago, he felt like it might be time to dip differently.

The Question That Got to Him

His oldest grandson had just turned seven. They were sitting in the shop, grease on their hands and a four-wheeler with a warped front end, when his little buddy looked up and said:

“Pop, why do you dip if you told me it’s bad?”

David didn’t have a slick answer. He didn’t want to lie. He just knew he didn’t feel good about it anymore. Some things had changed - maybe the times or just the wisdom of time passing - but it's not the moment he quit.

It was just the moment he started thinking different.

Trying Something New—Without Giving Up Who You Are

David’s not the kind of man who likes being told what to do. He’s a Harley rider, a business owner, and has a way with words. The kinda guy who tells stories in a way that captivates. He says what you're thinking and then things you didn't know you were thinking. Doesn't matter if it's his grandsons or a stranger, he's the same guy.

He wasn’t looking to “kick the habit.” He just wanted another option. Something he could do on the banks of the river while showing the boys how to skip rocks between casts. Something he could do to show them - you don't have to do anything.

“I wasn’t gonna start chewing gum or sticking patches on,” he said. “That’s not me.”

David's first Harley, he said, was a beaut. He got rid of it when there were two little ones at home and no need to risk it. About two decades later, he got another Harley. Some things were different, he acknowledged. Back in the day, he didn't want a windshield, but this time, he quickly decided it was necessary. His lifestyle was a little different back then, too.

It was during this time of doing the same things a little differently that he gave hemp dip a try. No nicotine. No tobacco. Made out of something he's seen grow out of the ground with his own eyes. Made from hemp, flavored like straight or wintergreen—not sweet, not fake.

“It’s got that bite. That feel. You know?”

So Did He Quit Tobacco?

Sometimes, yeah. Other times, no.

David still dips tobacco now and then, but if he wants to quit, no big deal.

It's Not For Everybody

Not every dipper is ready to quit. Not every dipper wants to. But a lot of folks, like David, want something different, for whatever reason they choose.

“I appreciate it,” he said. “It’s not preachy or snake oil. It just fits for me.”

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