News 2009

Hand rolled (Roll-your-own or RYO) smoking risks

TV 3 Sunrise programme: 7 July Study suggests rollies worst for health. Dr Laugesen interviewed re RYOs. http://www.3news.co.nz/Home/gSearchResults/tabid/431/Default. aspx?cx=014519039365600221706%3Aym2itsw8shk&cof=FORIRD%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=Laugesen&sa=Search#230 Study suggests rollies worst for health 05-Jul 20:53 A new study has shown that factory-rolled cigarettes maybe the lesser of two evils. The Christchurch-based study compared people smoking factory-rolled cigarettes to those smoking roll-your-owns and found that smokers tended to suck rollies more intensively, more often and more efficiently, making them at least as deadly as factory-rolled cigarettes. The study, led by public health specialist Dr Murray Laugesen , is the first to use people rather than smoking machines to compare the two types of cigarettes. It compared 26 men who smoked rollies with 22 who smoked factory-rolled. Each smoked a filtered cigarette every half hour over two hours, according to usual habit. Cravings and exhaled carbon monoxide were measured before and after each cigarette smoked. It found that participants smoking rollies took 25 percent more puffs per cigarette and generally puffed for six seconds longer per cigarette. Both types of cigarette boosted the level of carbon monoxide, measured in exhaled breath, by the same amount. The study found that while the amount of tobacco used in rollies was less, the pattern of smoking - particularly for cigarettes later in the day - resulted in increased inhalation of tobacco smoke. "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," Dr Laugesen said. Dr Laugesen said the research dispelled the belief some smokers had in thinking rollies were safer because they used less tobacco, or had less additives, or because they used a filter. "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." Dr Laugesen believed New Zealand's tobacco excise tax approach, levied by tobacco content rather than per cigarette, encouraged smokers to hand-roll thin cigarettes and pay less tax, making them the cheaper option. "The tax rate per smoke should be equalised. Equal harm deserves equal tax." NZPA

Roll-your-own cigarettes dangerous money-savers: research Friday Jun 26, 2009 By Martin Johnston http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10580788 Roll-your-own smokes could be even more harmful than factory-made cigarettes because people suck them harder and more efficiently, Christchurch research indicates. The researchers are calling for the Government to act on their findings by applying a higher tax and specific warnings on roll-your-own tobacco. In the first comparison between the two types of smoking using people rather than smoking machines, the study suggests rollies are "apparently no less and possibly more dangerous" than factory-made cigarettes. Public health specialist Dr Murray Laugesen and his co-researchers found roll-your-own smokers inhaled 28 per cent more smoke per filtered cigarette, even though the rollies contained less tobacco than the factory-mades. And both types boosted the level of carbon monoxide, measured in exhaled breath, by the same amount. "Whereas a smoker of factory-mades lets a lot of the smoke go up in the air, these roll-your-own smokers suck like crazy and don't let so much be wasted," Dr Laugesen said yesterday. "They're getting more value out of the tobacco - and more harm." The study, using cigarette holders containing flow meters, compared 26 people who usually smoke rollies with 22 who usually smoke factory-mades. In their paper, the researchers said rollies accounted for nearly a third of tobacco used in New Zealand. The country's comparatively high tobacco excise tax - levied by tobacco content, not per cigarette - had encouraged smokers to hand-roll thin cigarettes and pay less tax. "Thus excise increases have perversely encouraged cheaper smoking rather than quitting." Overseas research has shown roll-your-own smokers are twice as likely as smokers of factory-mades to believe rollies are less risky. Norwegian research shows they also have twice the lung-cancer risk. Although rollies contain less tobacco, they contain no fewer additives and their smoke contains much more tar. Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia wants more tax on roll-your-own tobacco, but a spokesman for the Finance Minister said the Government was not considering it. ROLLIE DRAWBACKS A study that compared smoking of roll-your-own and factory-made cigarettes showed rollie smokers: * Inhaled 28 per cent more smoke per cigarette. * Took 25 per cent more puffs. * Puffed for six seconds longer per cigarette. * Increased their carbon monoxide level by the same amount. Roll-your-own cigarettes as dangerous as factory-made cigarettes - BMC Public Health 18 June 2008 In research published today, Health New Zealand Ltd shows that smokers of RYO cigarettes inhale more smoke and absorb as much carbon monoxide as factory made cigarette smokers. LAUGESEN, M., EPTON, M., FRAMPTON, C., GLOVER, M., LEA, R.A. Hand-rolled cigarette smoking patterns, compared with factory-made cigarette smoking in New Zealand men. BMC Public Health 2009, 9:194. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/9/194

A law ending cigarette sales can save 4000 lives and $22 billion annually

No less than one in five are smoking daily

Has smoking prevalence markedly declined in New Zealand despite more cigarettes released for sale?

NZ Med. J. 27 February 2009

Aims To assess whether smoking declined markedly since 2003, as reported by the New Zealand Health Survey (NZHS) of 2007.

Method Comparison of daily smoking prevalence from the NZHS, Census, and annual ACNielsen Ltd smoking prevalence survey against tobacco and cigarette volumes released to the domestic market, 1996-2007.

Results From 2003 to 2007, NZHS-reported daily cigarette smoking prevalence decreased from 22.8% to 18.1%, implying 125,000 (-17%) fewer smokers, whereas cigarettes annually released for sale increased 7.5% from 3957 to 4253 million sticks. In contrast, the Census and the ACNielsen commercial survey estimated 1.0 and 1.5 percentage point decreases respectively in numbers smoking. Identifiable factors explained up to 34% of the decrease in numbers smoking. Anti-smoking sentiment was greater in 2007.

Conclusion It is highly doubtful if adult daily smoking prevalence has yet decreased below 20%. Smokers responding to the 2007 NZHS, more than in previous health surveys, tended to underreport their smoking. They may have opted out of responding altogether, or otherwise not reported they smoked. Future health surveys should include biochemical validation of smoking status.

Laugesen M. Has smoking prevalence markedly declined in New Zealand despite more

cigarettes released for sale? NZ Med J 27 February 2009; 122: 1290.

http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/122-1290/3482/ No funds were received for this study.

27 February 2009: DomPost, Southland Times; 28 February: 2009 The Press, South Island edition, and TV3 News.

© Copyright Health New Zealand 2009. All rights reserved.