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Little Cigars
Smoking behaviors include choosing tobacco products. This paper focuses on the use of little cigars (e.g., Black & Milds, Swisher Sweets, Hav a tampa, cheyenne, santa fe, king edward). Also known as cigarillos, little cigars are slightly larger than cigarettes but much smaller than traditional full-sized cigars. Some (e.g., Black & Milds) are filled with pipe tobacco. In recent years, manufacturers have introduced flavored little cigars, marketing them heavily to young adults. Little cigars are generally sold in packages of 5. In North Carolina in 2007, a pack cost approximately $2.50, and singles were sold for $0.75
Why little cigars are preferred to cigarettes
When asked why they preferred little cigars, participants provided various
responses.
Taste and smell. A common response was that little
cigars taste better than cigarettes. Several students noted that little cigars
have a "smoother" taste, and one student said, "A cigarette tastes like
chemicals." Black & Milds are filled with pipe tobacco, and generally
participants found the odor pleasing, especially compared with that of
cigarettes. As one student put it, "Cigarettes stink . . . [but] a Black smells
so good." Some participants were concerned about others' reactions to the smell
of cigarettes, especially members of the opposite sex.
"Buzz." Many students reported that they smoked
tobacco for the feeling it gave them and that the feeling from little cigars was
better or more intense compared with the feeling from cigarettes. One student
remarked, ". . . the first cigarette you also get a buzz, but after that there
is nothing but cigarette. But with Black & Milds, like you get one every time."
Social purposes. According to many participants,
smoking little cigars was an integral part of their social life, especially on
occasions involving alcohol (e.g., at parties, at clubs). Typical comments
included, "I think drinking and smoking Blacks goes together" and "What would
happen is you were drinking and smoking, and it just went pretty well hand in
hand." Many students noted that in a social setting a little cigar is often
passed among friends, much like a marijuana joint. "Normally people smoke and
pass," said one participant. "We might share while in the line at the club,"
added another.
Status. Several participants expressed the opinion
that many young people had taken up smoking little cigars because it is in
vogue. One participant observed, "Some . . . just want to look cool in the
club." During one focus group a student intern in this project noted that many
popular hip-hop and rap artists smoke little cigars in music videos. He and
several participants expressed opinions that these celebrities may create or
reinforce the "cool" image of little cigars.
Beliefs related to addiction and harm. Many
participants viewed little cigars as being less addictive and less harmful to
their health compared with cigarettes. These reasons are explored in detail
later.
Two reasons unrelated to cigarettes were also offered for smoking little cigars:
Stress. Many participants mentioned using little
cigars to cope with stress. One participant said, "After class, after work,
after an argument . . . I will smoke a Black to calm down." Reported another, "I
work in customer service. . . . When I go home . . . I just sit back and smoke a
Black and reflect on my day, look at who I was about to cuss out."
Marijuana use. A few students said they smoked little
cigars in conjunction with marijuana to heighten the effects of the marijuana.
One participant remarked, "Now I smoke after weed to get an extra boost."
How and how much little cigars are smoked
Participants indicated that inhaling was necessary to get a buzz from little
cigars, and almost all participants reported doing so. One participant said not
inhaling "is a waste of money."
When participants were asked how many little cigars they smoked, their responses
ranged from 1 pack (i.e., 5 cigars) per day to 1 pack every 2 weeks. Those
participants who also smoked cigarettes indicated that they smoked more
cigarettes than little cigars. One student noted that he smoked 3 packs of
cigarettes per week but only 1 pack of Blacks per week.
Many participants indicated that they did not smoke an entire little cigar in a
single session. Said one, "I will hype me a Black in the morning, smoke a little
before I go to class, then go to class and come back out, and I smoke a little
bit more. And then I might go home . . . and smoke the rest of the Black."
Other students stressed that they do not smoke a whole little cigar by
themselves, referring to the practice of passing a little cigar among friends. A
participant stated, "I can't smoke a whole one by myself. . . . Like I said, I
got to smoke with one of my boys." Another participant commented, "Collectively
we might smoke five to six Blacks in a day." Summing up this discussion, a
student commented, "You got to share the Black."
Beliefs about addiction
The belief that little cigars are not as addictive as cigarettes was widespread.
A participant remarked, "In cigarettes there are more things to get addicted
to." Another participant observed, "You see people smoking cigarettes; they be
outside in like 10-degree weather, because they need a cigarette. . . . If I
want a Black and even if I want it . . . bad, I still won't do anything like
[that]." A third participant simply stated, "I could shake a Black, but I
couldn't shake cigarettes."
A minority of students disagreed. One declared, "Black & Milds in some cases
[are] just as addictive — different gun, same bullet." Another student noted
that he had started smoking little cigars to stop smoking cigarettes. He said it
worked, but now he felt addicted to little cigars. Even so, he was confident he
could stop but said he had not tried: "I don't feel that I smoke enough Blacks
in a day for it to be a serious health risk to me."
Beliefs about health risks
Participants' opinions were divided regarding the health risks of smoking little
cigars compared with the risks of smoking cigarettes; some participants believed
little cigars were less harmful than cigarettes. Several students noted that
little cigars are not addressed in antismoking messages. One student remarked,
"I ain't never heard anything about Black & Milds being bad . . . but you hear
everything about cigarettes and how they give you cancer and all." Other
students claimed a difference in ingredients: "[There are] more harmful things
in cigarettes that are not in Blacks, like more gas, toxic gases, and stuff like
that." Still other participants cited a difference in the quantity consumed. One
student stated, "I think that it is not as bad, because you don't smoke Black &
Milds as much, at least I don't."
Other students expressed the opinion that the risks of cigarettes and little
cigars are equivalent. "It's the same thing; tobacco is tobacco," said one
student. In a more nuanced observation, another student commented, "Smoking a
Black you might get the same disease as that cigarette smoker is going to get
later on, but you are going to get it years after them."
Still other participants thought little cigars are more harmful than cigarettes
and offered different explanations. Some students suggested that little cigars
are a stronger tobacco product. For example, one student remarked, "One Black &
Mild is just like smoking 10 cigarettes or something like that."
Several students expressed the opinion that toxic chemicals are concentrated in
a paper liner in Black & Milds and that this paper makes little cigars more
harmful than cigarettes. They referred to this liner as the "cancer stick."
These students believed that the risk of smoking little cigars can be reduced by
removing the liner through a process called hyping, also known as
freaking (2).
As they described it, hyping involves taking the plastic tip off the cigar,
completely emptying the tobacco from the wrapper, removing the paper lining
inside the wrapper, and returning the tobacco to the wrapper. The primary
purpose of hyping is to improve the smoking experience (i.e., making it easier
to inhale deeply and "get a good buzz"), but because of students' beliefs that
the liner contains high levels of harmful chemicals, some students thought
removing it also made little cigars safer.
Confusion about the purpose of the paper liner was considerable. One participant
remarked, "My brother [says the] cancer stick is like the filter. I said, nah,
the cancer stick can't be no filter, but I felt like that little stick was
putting more harm in my body than good and if I take it out, at least I will be
winning a little bit."
Several students expressed interest in learning more about little cigars and
their risks. One stated, "I want to find out what is in a Black. I have been
smoking this for years, and I am going to find out what is really in it." In one
focus group, the facilitator asked if participants would want to read factual
information about little cigars. All members of the group agreed they would.
Tobacco products may cause mouth cancer.
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight.
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.
SURGEON GENERAL’S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health.
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