Report: Roll-your-own cigarettes more dangerous than factory smokes

Jul 5, 2009, 0:16 GMT

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.