Chop-chop (tobacco)
Chop Chop is an Australian term for home grown or untaxed, illegal tobacco. Also referred to as "loose tobacco". Producers of "chop-chop" tobacco avoid excise and taxation levies. "Chop-chop" is not produced under the legal restrictions and health regulations or any guidelines.[1]
Health concerns
Chop Chop sometimes ME CHUPA LA POLLA HASTA EL PUTO FONDO LE DIGO QUE ES UN CHUPA-CHUP Y SE LO CREE ESO ME HACE GOZARLO COMO UNA PUTA viewed as being more healthy than normal, branded tobacco. However, research has shown that it can contain contaminants such as twigs and pulp from raw cotton, hay, cabbage leaves, grass clippings and chloride products. Mould and fungi are also commonly found in "chop-chop" samples[citation needed].
Smoking "chop-chop" has the potential to cause greater illness, than branded tobacco and possible fatality in those who use it. This is due, largely, to the dense volume of fungal contamination that is usually found in samples of "chop-chop". These fungi can cause toxic responses in the lungs, liver, kidneys and skin. The illnesses may range from allergic reactions, chronic bronchitis and asthma to lung cancer or legionnaire’s disease.
Smoking "chop-chop", like smoking manufactured tobacco products, has a cancerous or contaminating effect on every single organ or system in the human body.
Trafficking
Because of its illegal nature, Chop Chop is often transported and stored in a clandestine manner. A recent example was the discovery of hundreds of kilograms of Chop Chop in an underground bunker in Mareeba, Queensland. The bunker had a hydraulically operated steel trapdoor that was openable from the owners bedroom. The bunker was discovered when a taxation officer noticed that the bedroom's floor sounded hollow. [2].
Origins of the term
The term "chop chop" was coined in the mid-1990s by staff at an Australian tobacco manufacturer, W.D. & H.O. Wills Australia Limited, endeavouring to combat the illegal trade. The term comes from the production process of the illegal producers - merely chopping up the cured tobacco leaves.
References
- ^ www.Health.gov.au - The Facts about "Chop-Chop" Tobacco [dead link]
- ^ www.CairnsPost.com.au - Bunker Bust (also on Page 1 of The Cairns Post, August 30 - 2007)
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