Roll-your-own cigarette
Roll-your-own (RYO, often called rollies, roll-ups or hand-rolled cigarettes) refers to a cigarette made from loose tobacco and rolling papers. Roll-your-own products are sold as a pouch of tobacco for rolling hand-rolled cigarettes, sometimes with the rolling papers provided in the pouch. Loose filters can also be bought and added to the rolled cigarettes.
Hand-rolled cigarettes also give smokers the ability to roll cigarettes of any diameter they choose, and hence vary the strength of the cigarette. Rolling tobacco is generally not additive free, in particular the wet nature of the product necessitates the use of chemical preservatives, as well as other chemicals used for flavouring[1], although premium additive free products are available[2]. Like all tobacco products, all rolling tobacco can cause various diseases. Roll-your-own cigarettes are also preferred by some smokers because they are cheaper than machine-made cigarettes and for the ritual of making the roll up.
RYO [Roll Your Own] smokers tend to believe that RYO cigarettes are less harmful compared to factory-made (FM) cigarettes [1] despite evidence to suggest that RYO smokers are actually at increased risk for certain cancers [3-5]." [4]
"Smokers of hand-rolled cigarettes showed an increased risk of cancer of the mouth and pharynx (odds ratio [OR] = 2.5; 95% confidence limit = 1.2-5.2) when compared with smokers of manufactured cigarettes. Also, the risk of laryngeal cancer was greater among smokers of hand-rolled cigarettes (OR = 2.7; 95% confidence limit = 1.3-5.7) as compared with smokers of commercial cigarettes" [5]
"Many smokers believe that RYO cigarettes are more 'natural' and therefore are less harmful than manufactured cigarettes. The current findings suggest that this is not the case. " [6]
"... debunk the myths associated with rolling tobacco - it's not less harmful, it's not more natural and you're just as likely to develop smoking related illnesses." [7]
See also
References
- Roll-your-own smoke yields: theoretical and practical aspects This article incorporates information from this publication
External links
- Roll-Your-Own on the Tobacco Wiki
- SoYouWanna roll your own cigarettes? | SoYouWanna.com A step by step guide to rolling a cigarette
- Rolling Papers.net The world's largest collection of rolling papers (fun)
- Roll Your Own Magazine - 'zine dedicated to rolling ones own cigarettes
- RYOcig.com RYO information