Rolling Tobacco: Is It Less Harmful Than Pack Cigarettes?
In recent years, the consumption of rolling tobacco has increased enormously It has become a popular way of consuming tobacco, especially among young people, who after the crisis have thought that it was a cheaper option for smoking.
Rolling your own tobacco to smoke it has become a more considered option in certain social circles, and the idea has also spread that it is less harmful than consuming a conventional cigarette.
Is it true that smoking roll-your-own tobacco is better for your health than smoking pack tobacco? In this article we are going to see what is true about this issue, since it is something that many people are convinced of.
First of all, it is necessary to clarify that rolling tobacco is understood to be that type of tobacco that comes loose, without being presented in the form of a ready-made cigarette.
Although this type of tobacco can be used for other modes of consumption such as pipes, it is currently much better known for preparing cigarettes. To be able to do it You have to buy this tobacco loose, in addition to paper and mouthpieces Everything is sold separately, usually in plastic packages of different commercial brands.
While it is most common for cigarettes to be prepared by hand, these cigarettes can also be prepared using machines. These allow you to achieve good uniformity when rolling the cigarette. On the other hand, there are also cigarette preparations in which they only need to add rolling tobacco inside.
5 big myths about the consumption of this substance
There have been many people who have switched to rolling tobacco thinking that it is better than conventional tobacco, but generally the reasons are not as true as one might believe
Below we are going to demystify the key points that lead many smokers to think that rolling tobacco is a better option for them. Let’s see why in most cases worrying about smoking rolling tobacco or pack tobacco makes little sense.
Some smokers They believe that rolling tobacco is more natural and contains fewer additives than cigarettes already made in a factory. By not going to the last possible step in its manufacturing process, it is assumed that what is in the package is more natural or organic, and therefore, healthier.
But the truth is that, beyond nicotine, loose tobacco is also treated and harmful additives are added. For example, there are substances that help retain moisture or reduce the smell of tobacco smoke.
2. Paper is healthier
“If not for tobacco, then for paper.” That’s what some people think, who believe that while tobacco may not vary much, the role of rolling tobacco is most likely much better.
Packed tobacco cigarettes come presented with a white paper to which additives are added so that it does not go out while we do not take a puff. On the other hand, the role of rolling tobacco It goes out shortly after not smoking
From this, many people think that rolling tobacco paper is better because it burns more slowly. In addition, it is thinner, so there is less substance to inhale that is not tobacco. But it is important not to fool yourself. This paper continues to carry toxic substances for our body.
3. You smoke less cigarettes
There are people who believe that if they buy rolling tobacco they end up smoking less. If you talk to them they will give you different reasons, such as that the paper goes out more, that they are too lazy to prepare the cigarettes or simply that they don’t like it as much and that makes them want to smoke less
They are strategies that can make one smoke less, along with other associated factors that we will see. The truth is that it has been shown that smokers who use rolling tobacco generally smoke less than those who smoke classic manufactured tobacco cigarettes. But as we will see later, we must also take into account that rolling tobacco puts other problems on the table
Although you can load more cigarettes, generally being able to choose the amount of tobacco in a cigarette helps you want to smoke less.
There are those who prepare thinner cigarettes, that is, with less tobacco, believing that it is a good solution to smoke less. But as we have seen in the previous point, trying to find solutions to smoke less is not always a good idea.
Smoking thinner cigarettes can even make us smoke more, since you are consuming less nicotine than you are used to Furthermore, if this ends up being the case, you end up consuming more paper, and therefore, more toxic substances that are not even tobacco.
Smoking thinner cigarettes can even cause you to have to inhale harder, requiring a respiratory effort to get in equally. tar and other harmful substances in your lungs.
5. It is healthier
This idea is the conclusion reached after believing some of the previous points. We have left this point for last to examine different factors that allow us to definitively deny that rolling tobacco is a healthier option for your body.
Below we review some of the most relevant aspects to take into account for our health. Smoking rolling tobacco and conventional tobacco is bad, it is obvious, but There are some differences that research on this topic has revealed
5.1. Cancer
Rolling tobacco may be perceived as a less harmful option to smoking, but the results do not say the same. Compared to classic tobacco smokers, rolling tobacco smokers have a higher incidence of certain cancers such as lung, mouth, pharynx and larynx.
Besides, A much higher concentration of tar, carbon monoxide and nicotine has been found in rolling tobacco compared to conventional tobacco. A greater oxidative effect has also been found in the body’s cells in experiments that have studied both types of tobacco.
5.2. Carbon monoxide
People who smoke roll-your-own tobacco have more carbon monoxide in their blood. As notable aspects we can affirm that this damages the arteries and causes less respiratory capacity and efficiency in the transport of nutrients in the blood.
According to studies, rolling tobacco burns more paper and produces more carbon monoxide. Precisely, therefore, This causes the vascular pathology to worsen very suffered among smokers.
5.3. Nicotine dependence and its presence in the blood
Once we stop finding nicotine in our body after one or two hours of smoking, other harmful molecules such as cotinine continue to remain there. Cotinine is a substance produced in the metabolism of nicotine.
Traces of this substance have been found for longer in the blood of people who smoke rolling tobacco than in people who smoke conventional tobacco. But in any case, no differences have been found between the dependence of some smokers and others towards nicotine consumption in general.
5.4. Decreased attempts to quit
A significant portion of smokers have switched to rolling tobacco because they believe it is better for them. Perhaps for this reason the research presents lower results in attempts to quit smoking. Rolling tobacco users are less likely to quit smoking
The ability that the smoker feels to quit the habit, a concept called self-efficacy, is lower in the case of roll-your-own tobacco smokers. This perception makes the motivation to quit the bad habit less and, therefore, more difficult to get away from this drug.
5.5. Stress and addiction
If you want to avoid smoking, the best thing is, obviously, to quit smoking. Smoking rolling tobacco can make you smoke a little less, but as we see, not everything comes down to the number of cigarettes. And although sometimes one deceives oneself and deprives oneself of certain cigarettes, the anxiety that can be generated by not having the substance can increase anxiety
This is not a good solution for our body; Suffering from stress is also harmful to our health.
In any case, we can affirm that the anxiety caused by restricting a substance to which we are hooked is an unequivocal sign of addiction. And as far as results regarding the level of nicotine dependence are concerned, smoking rolling tobacco is just as addictive as conventional tobacco.
