A rolled cigarette would be the equivalent of two or three conventional cigarettes, warns Dr. Anne-Laurence Le Faou, president of the French-speaking Society of Tabacco and head of the Tabacco Center at the European Georges-Pompidou Hospital in Paris.
- This type of tobacco is dangerous because it is highly prized by young people, in particular because of its proportionally lower cost than conventional cigarettes.
- The health crisis has increased the consumption of tobacco, particularly rolling tobacco.
Often perceived as the economical solution by smokers, rolling tobacco is just as dangerous as traditional cigarettes. It would be even worse to believe Dr. Anne-Laurence Le Faou, president of the French-speaking Society of Tabacco and head of the Tabacco Center of the European Georges-Pompidou Hospital in Paris. “A rolled cigarette is the equivalent of two or three regular cigarettes”, she warns in an interview with the Parisian.
Cheaper and more attractive
This type of tobacco is dangerous because it is highly prized by young people. “Rolling tobacco, even organic, presented in a nice packaging that gives it a natural look, is extremely toxic, even if you add a filter!”, emphasizes Anne-Laurence Le Faou. To avoid attracting a young clientele, the tobacco specialist suggests increasing taxes and therefore prices to reduce the gap with conventional cigarettes. “This would decrease the initiation to smoking”, she believes.
The health crisis has not improved the solution, on the contrary. “I noticed that many patients relapsed during this period of staying at homeshe noted. Many feared for their jobs at the time, and some remain unemployed today, resulting in an increase in tobacco use lasting beyond the lockdown..”
Quit smoking altogether
The objective is not only to divert roll-your-own tobacco smokers from this form of consumption, but to encourage people to quit smoking altogether. Anne-Laurence Le Faou pleads for “develop opportunities everywhere to help people quit smoking, especially for people whose resources are low because they are the ones who smoke the most and who continue to smoke and sometimes, despite the higher price of cigarettesshe says. They are also the ones who direct their consumption towards rolling tobacco, which is less expensive. Finally, staff resources need to be developed in France because the healthcare offer is much less developed than in Anglo-Saxon countries, in particular for smokers who need it the most..”
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