Safest Herbal Cigarettes

Herbal cigarettes are regarded as safe alternatives to traditional chemical-laden tobacco cigarettes. Various medical authorities, however, insist that there is no such thing as a safe cigarette. Anything combustible, when inhaled, produces carbon monoxide and tar and is therefore dangerous.

Cloves

• Cloves are a mixture of tobacco and clove spice. They have a distinctive smell. Cloves are heavier in nicotine and tar than conventional cigarettes and may be toxic.

Herbal Alternatives

• Increasingly, brands of mixed dry herbs are sold as nicotine- and chemical-free cigarettes. They have no tobacco and can be sold to minors.

Bidis

• Bidis are dark tobacco wrapped in tendu leaves and string-tied. They are associated with India, other countries of production in Southeast Asia, and hippy culture. Though paperless, they require deeper inhalation, causing the smoker to ingest more tar and nicotine than from other cigarettes.

Attractions

• Consumers are enticed through a variety of colors and flavors and the illusion of a safer cigarette. Other attractions include pleasant odor, no synthetic chemicals, natural ingredients, or the opportunity to support independent business.

Lifestyle

• Many choose herbal cigarettes as an image statement, lifestyle issue, or consumer choice. Due to a lack of FDA warnings, these choices may be based on uninformed personal preference.

Other issues

• Some herbal cigarettes are produced by concerned alternative companies that use organic farms and fair labor. However, many are hand rolled by children in underdeveloped countries, grown in toxic soil, or are intentionally misleading.