Key takeaways
- Rolled cigarettes, not healthier; contain perilous chemicals.
- Combustion smoke poses grave risks to health.
- Firefighters wear masks to avoid toxic inhalation.
- Natural tobacco in rolled cigarettes still dangerous.
- Vaping products from pharmacies offer medically supported alternatives.
Some smokers believe that rolling your own cigarettes is safer than buying conventional cigarettes from shops, thinking it’s the added preservatives and chemicals that make store-bought ones harmful.
However, the truth is, there’s no such thing as a healthy cigarette.
Even if the tobacco is home-grown and rolled in chemical-free paper, it still damages your body and the environment.
Remember, all smoke—from burning leaves to engine fumes—contains thousands of harmful chemicals that weaken your lungs with every inhale.
Chat to a prescriber
Bulk-billed phone consultations
TGA-authorised clinicians
Nicotine vaping scripts available
Keep reading to learn more about the dangers of cigarette smoke and why rolled cigarettes aren’t any safer.
The Chemicals Found in Smoke from Combustion
Have you ever noticed how firefighters wear masks and oxygen tanks when entering burning buildings?
That’s because smoke from any kind of fire contains thousands of toxic chemicals that are harmful to health.
It’s no different when you light up tobacco, even if it’s natural and rolled in paper without preservatives. You’re still inhaling thousands of dangerous chemicals, including these:
Carbon Monoxide: An odourless, colourless gas that reduces the oxygen your blood can carry, lowering the supply to your organs.
Particulate Matter: Tiny particles in smoke that can get into your lungs, causing coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.
Aldehydes: Chemicals like formaldehyde and acrolein, often used in industrial solutions, that irritate your lungs and can cause long-term damage.
Sulphur Dioxide: A strong-smelling gas that can trigger asthma and other breathing problems.
Metals: Harmful elements like cadmium, lead, and arsenic that accumulate in your body and lead to serious health issues.
Rolled Cigarettes Aren’t Healthier By Any Means
Be cautious of the harmful chemicals mentioned above when rolling your own cigarettes or using any rolled tobacco.
Smoking them isn’t a healthier option compared to store-bought ones.
Any kind of smoke from burning, whether it’s from cigarettes or even chimneys, poses serious risks to your health.
In fact, even the smoke from wood-burning chimneys releases dangerous toxins, which is why health experts are pushing for restrictions or bans on wood burning in homes.
Is There a ‘Healthy’ Cigarette?
Unfortunately, there is no cigarette that’s healthy or helpful to our bodies. Combustion creates chemicals and compounds that cause grave damage to the human body.
Vaping: A ‘Healthier’ Alternative to Cigarettes?
This really comes down to where you’re buying them from, and under what conditions and manufacturing quality they were made.
Nicotine vaping products (NVPs) sold in pharmacies are made under stringent pharmaceutical standards on the manufacturing process and ingredients, are toxicologically assessed for inhalation, are locally insured, and are specifically designed to help you stop smoking. This ensures motivated smokers using it as a second-line solution to stop smoking can confidently quit with a product made with their health and cessation away from smoking in mind.
On the other hand, illicit NVPs (such as those in convenience stores and tobacconists) are imported under the radar, just like illicit tobacco and drugs, and are made as cheaply as possible for maximum profits. Their quality and health benefits are completely unknown, and they may be no better than smoking at all.
NVPs from pharmacies may be a second-line solution to NRT products, but they’re by no means ineffective. The latest Cochrane Review found high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than NRT in helping people stop smoking.
The Only Healthy Option Is to Stop Smoking
Whether you’re smoking ciggies from the local convenience store or leaves without preservatives and clean paper, you’re still exposing yourself to the same danger. Quitting is the only way to get yourself healthy.
It’s understandable that an addiction to nicotine is what keeps people from quitting smoking, but with the right strategy, people and tools for the job, you can quit easily.
Your GP can create a custom-made quitting plan with your specific needs in mind. They can also recommend certain NRTs and assess whether these help with your withdrawal symptoms during the first week or month. After their evaluation, they can also prescribe pharmacy NVPs to you if deemed necessary.
With a GP cheering you on and with tools keeping withdrawals at bay, you might be surprised that you’re already in your first year of being smokefree, or maybe even way beyond!
See how a typical quitting timeline looks like.
Summary
Remember, there’s no such thing as a ‘healthy’ cigarette. There may be an ‘all-natural’ cigarette, but it still produces smoke that is hazardous to your health. Quitting is the only way to keep yourself healthy, happy, and living a longer life.
You’re reading this because you’re wondering whether rolled cigarettes are better options than pre-rolled cigarettes. We hope you found this information useful, but there’s more you need to know about smoking in general.
Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around!
If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.
Link Reference:
- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-18/call-to-phase-out-wood-heaters-due-to-health-concerns/100202388
- https://www.cochrane.org/news/latest-cochrane-review-finds-high-certainty-evidence-nicotine-e-cigarettes-are-more-effective