Wellington - Roll-your-own cigarettes, favoured by some
smokers who think they are safer than the factory-made products,
could be more dangerous, even when filters are used, according to
research released in New Zealand on Sunday.
Dr Murray Laugesen, a public health specialist based in
Christchurch, said a study found that smokers of roll-your-owns
inhaled 28 per cent more smoke, even though they contained less
tobacco than factory-made cigarettes, because they tended to suck
more intensively.
'Roll-your-own smokers inhale more to get the most value from
their cigarettes and don't let so much be wasted, while smokers of
factory-made cigarettes let a lot of their smoke drift into the air,'
Laugesen said.
He said the study of 26 men who usually roll their own and 22 who
smoke factory-made cigarettes was the first of its kind to use people
rather than smoking machines. All used cigarette holders containing
flow meters.
Laugesen said that roll-your-own cigarettes accounted for nearly a
third of tobacco used in New Zealand and while smokers knew that
smoking kills, they thought they were safer because they used less
tobacco, or had fewer additives or because they used a filter.
'Our research shows these factors do not protect roll-your-own
smokers,' he said. 'Instead, we find that using less tobacco actually
means more smoke inhaled. Roll-your-owns contain more additives than
factory-made cigarettes, not less, and using less tobacco in the
roll-your-own cigarette means more smoke is inhaled, not less.'
Laugesen said New Zealand's excise system, which levies taxes by
tobacco content rather than per cigarette, encouraged smokers to
hand-roll thin cigarettes and pay less tax and people were turning
to roll-your-owns for a cheaper smoke, instead of quitting.
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