Indonesian bidi cigarettes provide unique flavors, risks

They are smaller than a Salem, less expensive than a pack of Marlboros and taste like a strawberry. It is no surprise that bidi cigarettes are becoming more popular, but they are more dangerous than some think.Once available only in tobacco specialty shops, these Indonesian hand-rolled smokes can now be purchased in many convenience stores across the country.Bidis are made from an all-natural leaf, wrapped around a small amount of tobacco and tied with a string. They are made in a variety of flavors including strawberry, vanilla, chocolate and grape. Bidis contain less tobacco than regular cigarettes, but unfiltered varieties have two to three times more tar and nicotine.”Bidis were originally designed in India to be a quick smoke,” said Mark Cassar, vice president of Kretek International, a leading specialty tobacco distributor. “They’re popular because they’re an alternative smoke in an alternative flavor.”According to Cassar, Kretek International, which imports the Darshan brand of bidis, has doubled their sales in the last year to year and a half.Phillips and King, an importer of Kalai brand bidis, has also experienced increased demand, especially in the past three months.Chuck Yoho, a freshman natural resources major, occasionally smokes bidis “just for something different.” While the disparities in size and flavor are obvious, Yoho found other differences.”The first thing I noticed is that they don’t have a filter,” Yoho said. “Everything you smoke goes directly into you.”Yoho said bidis are a novelty item, and that while one or two would not hurt you, smoking them as often as nicotine cigarettes could be dangerous.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of lung cancer in India is higher among bidi smokers than cigarette smokers.Bidis pose other hazards as well.”The problem is that they are attracting younger kids,” said Michelle Chippas, project director for Tobacco-Free Ohio. “You start with candy cigarettes, and then move up to bidis and cigarettes.”Chippas said children as young as 9-years-old are using bidis. People who would not normally be attracted to smoking become interested because of the flavors.”It’s a stepping stone to becoming a committed tobacco user,” Chippas said. “It’s gaining popularity. It’s very scary.”In a released statement by the CDC, experts warned potential consumers of bidis.”Bidis represent a significant health risk and should not be considered a safe alternative to cigarette smoking and other tobacco products.”According to Reina Sims, director of program services and minority health research at the Central Ohio Breathing Association, the Federal Trade Commission is conducting an investigation into the labeling practices of bidi cigarette manufacturers in India. Many bidis are being sold in the United States without a surgeon general’s warning on the label, which is against current FTC regulations.Warnings or not, bidis are selling well in area stores.Tom Pellican, owner of Smokers Preferred, said the strawberry, vanilla and clove bidis are the best sellers of the more than 20 flavors he stocks. He has noticed that they have grown in popularity in the last two years, especially among 20- to 30-year-olds.”I think it’s just a very unique taste,” he said. “It’s definitely for the younger people. We don’t get any senior citizens buying them.”