Research Shows Hand-Rolled Cigarettes Just as Lethal, and More Addictive, than Retail Cigarettes
Contrary to the perceptions held by many smokers, those who roll their cigarettes at home are likely to be hit with much higher levels of addiction-causing agents. They’re also not escaping any of the cancer-causing agents found in traditional cigarettes, say two research studies.
One recent study compared amounts of tar emitted from a traditional packaged cigarette to amounts emitted from a rolled cigarette, assembled at home, and found that cigarettes rolled by the user had significantly higher levels of chemicals known to be addictive.
The study, conducted at Victoria University, also showed that ingredients in cigarette smoke cause higher levels of a protein to be produced in the body, and this protein aids in boosting the addictive properties of nicotine.
It is estimated that about 50 percent of people who smoke for long periods of their life will die from smoking-related illnesses. Chemicals found in cigarettes that are linked to cancer include arsenic, formaldehyde, chromium and acrolein. Nitrogen oxides, ammonia and forms of cyanide are also present in cigarettes. Cigarettes rolled at home, say researchers, have much larger amounts of tar than retail cigarettes – contributing to even stronger addictive properties.
This may explain why, say researchers, smokers who try nicotine replacements – which don’t include smoke – have a harder time quitting and sticking to their resolve. Some statistics show people may attempt to quit as many as 14 times before becoming successful.
The appeal of rolling-your-own cigarettes may come in price. Smokers purchase a package of rolling papers, which can come in a variety of flavors, and a can of loose smoking tobacco for less cost than traditional cigarettes. However, though perhaps lower in price, smokers are still exposed to the same list of cancer-causing chemicals no matter which type they use, says another study published in Addiction Biology.
The study compared the urine from people who smoked retail cigarettes with samples from people who rolled their own cigarettes to determine levels of two types of carcinogens. Results showed that levels of toxic chemicals in both smokers’ urine were essentially the same, even when participants’ variances in weight, smoking behaviors and ages, along with other considerations, were factored in.
Females, say the researchers, showed more levels of carcinogens than men, no matter which variety of cigarettes they used. Researchers hope the study, conducted at the Health Behavior Research Centre, part of Cancer Research UK, may help dispel the false belief of smokers that rolling-their-own presents a more nature-based and less destructive cigarette.
The conclusion researchers arrived at brings a straightforward message to smokers, says Elspeth Lee of Cancer Research UK. When it comes to smoking, Lee says, no type of cigarette should ever be considered safe. She adds that while rolling-your-own cigarettes may be more appealing to people in lower-income areas, the practice is just as deadly as smoking retail cigarettes.
Lee, along with other members of large-scale anti-smoking initiatives, is calling for new legislation to keep smoking away from young persons and to reduce marketing campaigns for tobacco. Across the globe, experts believe making the deadly habit less appealing and less accessible may help prevent millions of new addictions.
