Posted on 04/19/2022 4:32:38 AM PDT by Pontiac
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, except when it's a "premium cigar." But what does "premium" mean, and do premium cigars affect people's health differently than other cigars, or cigarettes?
These are just a few of the questions that the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine tried to tackle in its report on "Health Effects and Patterns of Use of Premium Cigars." However, the 14-member committee that issued the report ran into some difficulties, one of which was determining what a "premium" cigar was.
"One of the challenges that we faced was that there was no single consistent definition of premium cigars," Steven Teutsch, MD, MPH, committee chair and senior scholar at the University of Southern California Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics, said Thursday during a webinar marking the report's release. So, the committee developed its own definition, which is a cigar that:
Is handmade
Contains filler composed of at least 50% natural long-leaf filler tobacco
Is wrapped in whole-leaf (not reconstituted) tobacco
Weighs at least 6 lbs per 1,000 units
Has no filters or tips
Has no characterizing flavor other than tobacco
The committee considered also using high price as a characteristic, but decided against it because the price can be affected by taxation and changed by the industry, said Teutsch. However, he added, "it does serve as a proxy for the first three attributes of the committee's definition, and at times we turned to price as a proxy when the detailed information wasn't available." Under this definition, the committee determined that about 1% of the U.S. population smokes premium cigars, and they tend to be white, male, and older than average, with a higher income and education level, Teutsch said.
Lack of data was another problem the group faced. For example, "there was no information on minority populations and high-risk populations" in terms of the effects of premium cigars, said committee member Neal Benowitz, MD, professor emeritus of medicine at the University of California San Francisco. "These may include youth or young adults, racialized and ethnic populations, pregnant women, those with underlying medical conditions -- especially cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease -- and people with occupational exposure to premium cigars," such as those who work in cigar lounges.
The committee was able to draw a few conclusions, however. The health risk from premium cigars "is directly related to how often premium cigars are used, and inhalation patterns," Benowitz said, noting that cigar smoke is harsher than cigarette smoke, and therefore it's harder to inhale it deeply. While the vast majority of cigarette smokers smoke daily, "about 5% of premium cigar smokers smoke daily, and the others smoke only occasionally. Since most premium cigar users are smoking infrequently, and are less likely to inhale, the population health risks of such users are likely to be less than those who smoke other cigar types. This is not because the cigars aren't as dangerous; it's because of how they smoke and how often."
On the other hand, if cigars are used regularly, the health risk is likely to be similar to cigarette smoking, he said. "Another important thing is if you are a cigar smoker who has smoked cigarettes in the past or currently, because you've learned to inhale, you're more likely to inhale cigar smoke, leading to a greater health risk."
In terms of how cigars are marketed, the committee said in its report that "there is strongly suggestive evidence from survey data that consumers of premium cigars who buy in person typically purchase their cigars from cigar bars or smoke/tobacco specialty shops or outlet stores, whereas nonpremium large traditional cigar users typically purchase their cigars at convenience stores and gas stations. A lower proportion of premium cigar users buy their cigars in person than nonpremium large traditional cigar users."
The committee had several recommendations for the federal government, which included:
The FDA and other federal agencies should develop formal categories and definitions for cigars to be used for research, to ensure consistency across studies
Using this agreed-upon definition for the different types of cigars, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, and the Federal Trade Commission should establish a system to monitor the use patterns, product characteristics, industry marketing, promotion, and sales by cigar type, and make the data public
The FDA, the NIH, and other federal agencies should conduct or fund research to determine the unique type of marketing, advertising, and promotional practices used by companies that manufacture, distribute, and sell premium cigars. These agencies should also identify strategies for tracking these activities, especially those that may appeal to youth
The federal government's response could significantly affect the trajectory of cigar smoking, said committee member Cristine Delnevo, PhD, MPH, director of the Rutgers University Center for Tobacco Studies. "What the patterns of use will look like in the future will depend on how the broad category of cigars are regulated -- taxation, marketing practices, etc," she said. "And so we recognize that those patterns can change."
However, tobacco trade and tax data for 2022 show that "the import of premium cigars is actually on an increasing trajectory. There are some data to point towards the fact that premium cigars -- the consumption of them has started to increase. Whether that is an indicator of more people using premium cigars or those using premium cigars smoking more of them, we do not know and we need the survey data to answer those particular questions," she added.
Contains no explosives?
I personally need to do more research on fine cigars and good scotch. Can I get a grant?
As long as they leave pot alone. Because that’s basically health food for your brain and lungs. I had a lot more to say but I forgot.
... and besides, you suddenly got the munchies
Meanwhile Deep State is legalizing and normalizing weed.
None of this is about public health.
As an occasional cigar smoker, I’ve had these discussions with doctors. My personal physician waves off the risks of cigar smoking compared to cigarettes mostly because cigar smoke is not inhaled by the user. I know a very small handful of die hards who inhale, but having accidentally taken in a small bit of cigar smoke, it’s incredibly harsh. I’ve never touched a cigarette in my life but I know the chemicals they use to quick cure the tobacco and put in the papers are far more dangerous than a natural tobacco wrapper.
That said, I am trying to quit due to the effects on my stomach. To each their own, I suppose.
“More Research Needed on Use of Premium Cigars, Report Finds”
I guess that means they haven’t gotten around to interviewing Bill Clinton yet.
“My personal physician waves off the risks of cigar smoking compared to cigarettes mostly because cigar smoke is not inhaled by the user.”
That’s why it’s called puffing on a cigar.
50 year cigar smoker here. Premium cigars can be some of the worse. New cigar smokers love to spend money. But, as the article states, not much data on the subject, just a passionate group of people that ain’t talking.
Of course cigar smoking — or smoking in general — is harmful. Even Rush knew the dangers.
But as we should be a free society, we should be free to make the choice of our own levels of risk…
Nothing to fear there. Narcotics is the life's blood of the democratic party.. Soon everything will be legalized, and every kid in town will be a hothead...
But smoking marijuana is ok......
Marijuana, by the way it is inhaled and held in the lungs, is far worse than cigars and cigarettes could ever be.
There is no set definition of “premium cigar.” It could be he carefully controlled hand creation or it could be a company’s most expensive cigar wrapped in individual tubes and wooden boxes and made of floor sweepings. It is a silly project.
😉
If somebody can get a grant to study shrimp on treadmills I don’t see why you couldn’t get a grant.
But you would need to come up with a plausible thing about cigar smoking.
Maybe how much saliva is generated by cigar smoking.
You could get a bunch of smokers together with a bunch of spittoons, smoke, drink and the next day quantify how much spit was generated.
Just have to write it up.
I am an occasional cigar smoker. I only smoke them outside when the weather is cool. Here in Texas, that means the season is pretty much over for the next 6 months (though I may be able to smoke a final one today; it is surprisingly cool and dry). Since I smoke so few these days, I get brands I trust, like CAO, Alec Bradley, Drew Estate, etc.
The bad thing for cigars is that they are still considered a luxury only affordable to the rich.
Sure the very best cigars are unaffordable to most people but that is true of most anything.
Single hand rolled cigars are still available for under $5. And most people only smoke at most 1 or 2 a day.
That puts cigars in the same price range a cigarettes in many states.
But perception is reality and cigars are a rich man’s vice.
Also notice that flavored cigars are the target of choice because it is the primary choice of the young/new cigar smoker today. And protecting the young is always their wedge when they are breaking in to a new area of regulation.
I still have cigars from 28 years ago. I have the AF 8-5-8’s that I bought when my son was born. He is 26. But I don’t smoke them anymore.
I don’t smoke, but as an innocent bystander, I consider any cigar whose odor doesn’t make me recoil in disgust is a premium cigar. Most of them are not offensive at all.
Cheap cigars (e.g. “guinea stinkers”) are the opposite.
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