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the smoke screen
network
Summer ’12
Cigars: Behind By Johnny Rigg
Cigars have long been symbols of power, wealth and success. And thanks to several regulation loopholes, they may seem an attractive alternative to cigarettes. Yet they contain many harmful, cancer-causing ingredients. While rising prices and widespread awareness of health risks have led cigarettes into a decline, “luxurious” fermented cigars have become a profitable product currently unregulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2009, an estimated 13.3 million people, more than 5% of the U.S. population older than 12, smoked cigars. Cigarette use, however, declined from 21.1 billion packs sold in 2000 to 17.4 billion in 2007, according to the American Heart Association. This increased popularity is likely tied to the lower rate at which cigars are taxed, making them less expensive to smoke. The federal tax on “cigarette alternatives,” such as cigarillos and little cigars, is just a tenth that of cigarettes, allowing even cash-strapped young adults to smoke more cheaply, according to researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. “Cigars and cigarillos have become an emerging issue in tobacco control in recent years, in part because of their appeal to young people through lower prices and sweet flavors,” a 2011 study by the
American Journal of Public Health reports. Though cigar users may believe cigarette alternatives such as smokeless tobacco or filtered cigars are less harmful, each is associated with health risks, including higher risks of developing cancers of the mouth, lung, esophagus and larynx.
The anatomy of a cigar According to the National Cancer Institute, “cigars contain the same toxic and carcinogenic compounds found in cigarettes and are not a safe alternative.” There are various cigar types and sizes that appeal to a wide array of users, but all cigars share certain characteristics. Cigar smoke contains as many as 4,000 chemical compounds, more than 40 of which are identified as cancer-causing agents. Large cigars, which make up nearly 50% of the current market, contain at least one-half ounce of fermented tobacco, the same amount found in an entire pack of cigarettes. They contain more tar and about 400 milligrams of nicotine — nearly 40 times the amount in a cigarette. Cigars are commonly sold individually and don’t contain a Surgeon General’s warning, instead displaying only the custom label of the producer. Their ingredients are not disclosed to health authorities, and cigar producers aren’t regulated by the FDA. continued on page 2
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