Cigars, Cigarillos & Little Cigars
Cigars, Cigarillos & Little Cigars
Cigars, Cigarillos & Little Cigars || Grantee Projects || FDA Tobacco Act
Over the last decade, cigarette consumption has declined, while sales of cigarillos and little cigars have increased dramatically – particularly among young adults. Despite their growth in popularity, little is known about these products. Moreover, they are taxed at lower rates and regulated differently than cigarettes. All of these reasons are cause for concern. Legacy is committed to reducing tobacco use– and that includes cigars, cigarillos and little cigars.
- Cigar smoking rates appear to be highest among 18-25 year olds. Most cigar use in this age group reflects use of small or little cigars and cigarillos. However, use of these products can be difficult to assess. Little cigar and cigarillo users may not think of themselves as cigar smokers, resulting in underreporting and giving a false impression of lower prevalence rates.
- Most surveys about cigar use fail to specify product brand, which may further lead to underreporting of use. A recent study found evidence to support that such underreporting might be differentially impacting black youth.
- Some consumers believe these products are less harmful than cigarettes. But large cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos contain many of the same harmful compounds as cigarettes and can be just as addictive.
- Cigars of all sizes pose significant health risks similar to cigarettes, including cancers of the mouth, lung, esophagus, and larynx. Smokers in general have a greater risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than nonsmokers.
- One use of cigars, known as "blunting," involves replacing the tobacco filling of a cigar with marijuana and smoking it. Health impacts of this behavior have not been well studied.
Little Cigars
Little cigars are similar in size and appearance to cigarettes. Unlike cigarettes, which are wrapped in white paper, little cigars are wrapped in a brown, paper-like substance that contains some tobacco leaf. They are available in flavors like vanilla, grape, watermelon, cherry, chocolate, menthol, etc. These are flavors that have been proven to appeal to youth. They weigh less than three pounds per thousand.
Cigarillos
Cigarillos often look like smaller versions of traditional cigars. These mid-sized cigars are colloquially known as “cigarillos,” “blunts,” or “cheroots.” They can come in flavors like cherry, apple, menthol, wine, etc., which appeal to young people.
Traditional Large Cigars
Traditional large cigars are tobacco wrapped in tobacco leaf. These products weigh more than three pounds per thousand.
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For Legacy's Cigars, Cigarillos & Little Cigars Fact Sheet, click here.
For a report by the Baltimore City Health Department on smoking Black & Mild brand little cigars (October 2007), click here.