New Zealand - are roll-your-own cigarettes more addictive than factory-made??

January 13, 2011 - Roll-your-own cigarettes (Rollies) may be more addictive than factory-mades, a study has suggested. The New Zealand study builds on research indicating these cheaper smokes are potentially more harmful. Rollies' potentially greater addictiveness is attributed to their higher tar/nicotine ratio.

Roll-your-own smokes could be even more harmful than factory-made cigarettes because people suck them harder and more efficiently, Christchurch research indicates.

While the addictiveness of nicotine is well established, Victoria University PhD graduate Amy Lewis works in the new field of searching for other bodily mechanisms for smoking addiction. She said yesterday she had found that tar from tobacco smoke contained a number of addictive elements.

"The vast majority of work done to date focuses only on nicotine and how it impacts on addictive pathways in the brain," Dr Lewis said, "but my work shows that other components in tobacco also play a big part. "There are so many different brain pathways all working together to establish and fortify tobacco addiction.

"Even though most smokers say they want to quit, few are successful and nicotine replacement therapies [NRTs] have proven to be remarkably ineffective at helping them break the habit." However, the Quitline says using NRT can double a smoker's chances of quitting, and the Health Ministry says that on average, people make 14 attempts to quit before succeeding.

Public health specialist Dr Murray Laugesen said that if rollies were in fact more addictive, that would help explain New Zealand's higher rate of smoking than Australia's (20 per cent, compared with 17 per cent). It was "another dimension to the argument", following the release last year of research showing New Zealand smokers were exposed to much more tar and nicotine than Australians.

"The main thing about roll-your-owns is the price - they have been cheaper. That was the obvious reason why New Zealanders should prefer roll-your-owns. This [the Lewis research] adds a new twist." The Government moved to reduce the price gap in the tax rise last year by imposing a much greater hike on loose tobacco than factory-mades, but a gap remains. A cheaper brand factory-made cigarette now costs around 63c and a roll-your-own around 43c. Rollies are typically thinner but people smoke them more efficiently, potentially making them more harmful. Norwegian research shows that roll-your-own smokers have double the lung cancer risk of smokers of factory-mades.

Dr Laugesen said no data was available yet on smokers' preferences since the tax increases began last April, but beforehand 31 per cent of tobacco consumed in New Zealand was for rollies, up from 13 per cent in 1990.

Reference: 'Rollies' more addictive, study shows by Martin Johnston, NZHerald.co.nz, 1/1`3/2011.

New Zealand related news briefs:
New Zealand - more on smoking cessation - does it always require a drug(s)??;
New Zealand - massive push to get smokers to quit..;
New Zealand - cigarette display ban passes first reading..;
New Zealand - price goes up number of smokers goes down..;
New Zealand - Māori Affairs Committee Report released - November 2010..;
New Zealand - non-smokers offered incentives to test cigarettes..;
New Zealand - phase out tobacco sales over the next decade..;
New Zealand - Scandinavian Tobacco granted clearance to merge its cigar and pipe tobacco businesses with Swedish Match..;
New Zealand - tobacco industry whistleblower addresses the Maori select committee..;
New Zealand - a third of patients seeking treatment in the ED were smokers..;
New Zealand - the majority of New Zealanders support an end to commercial tobacco sales by 2020 - can it happen??;
New Zealand - study revives interest in keeping tobacco hidden..;
New Zealand - health board says no to psychiatric hospital smoking ban..;
New Zealand - report on illicit trade and options to control growth of illicit trade..;
New Zealand - ASH Year 10 Snapshot Survey - Dramatic youth smoking decline..;
New Zealand - plain cigarette and tobacco packs could turn teenagers off smoking..;
New Zealand - Tobacco companies target women..;
New Zealand - lobby group of small retailers formed to protest tobacco price hike..;
New Zealand - more than half of the people want to end tobacco sales by 2020..;
New Zealand - revenue department has begun a review of BAT financial transactions..;
New Zealand - increase in tobacco excise forced through Parliament by the Government..;
New Zealand - Christchurch prepares for meeting with tobacco select committee..;
New Zealand - biggest drop in smoking rates seen in a decade..;
New Zealand - Maori affairs committee continues to gather information..;
New Zealand - study quit-smoking products that are acceptabe and effective..;
New Zealand - smoking ban results in decrease in heart attacks..;
New Zealand - BAT attends Maori Affairs select committee meeting on tobacco..;
New Zealanders want cigarettes banned by 2020..;
New Zealand - Maori women - almost 50% smoke..;
New Zealand - more and more teenagers turned off by smoking..;
New Zealand - loophole in the law banning tobacco sponsorship..;
New Zealand - University of Auckland to go smokefree - 1st university in country..;
New Zealand - smoking ban in bars results in less smoking at home..;
New Zealand - study, tobacco displays leads to increase in youth smoking..;
New Zealand - graphic warnings cigarette maker selects less offensive images..;
New Zealand - Maori committee to investigate smoking..;
New Zealand - Tairawhiti Board wants tobacco sold only on prescription..;
New Zealand - health researchers calling on government to ban importation of tobacco..;
New Zealand - 1st trial ever of e-cigarettes..;
New Zealand - BAT reducing prices discouraging people from quitting..;
New Zealand - stop smoking campaigns NOT working..;
BAT awarded worst corporation in New Zealand..;
New Zealand - government may NOT support tobacco display bans..;
New Zealand More Evidence Needed to Ban Tobacco and Cigarette Displays..;
More evidence - tobacco displays increase the risk of teens smoking..;
Horror photos go on New Zealand cigarette packs..;
Country to Eliminate Smoking - The South Pacific nation of Niue;
Ireland to ban tobacco displays..;
Smokefree NZ within 10 years..;
By law, oral snuff cannot (but nasal snuff is allowed) be sold in New Zealand and can be imported only for personal use..

0 comments: