Comparison of the nicotine content of tobacco used in bidis and conventional cigarettes.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the nicotine content of 12 unfiltered brands of bidi cigarettes (hand rolled cigarettes imported from India) with 8 popular brands of filtered and unfiltered US and conventional cigarettes from India.


METHODS
Identical laboratory procedures were used to determine nicotine content (in duplicate) and physical characteristics.


RESULTS
The nicotine concentration in the tobacco of bidi cigarettes (21.2 mg/g) was significantly greater than the tobacco from the commercial filtered (16.3 mg/g) and unfiltered cigarettes (13.5 mg/g).


CONCLUSIONS
Bidi cigarettes contain higher concentrations of nicotine than conventional cigarettes. Therefore, it is logical to presume that bidi smokers are at risk of becoming nicotine dependent. These findings belief a popular belief among US teens that bidis are a safe alternative to commercial cigarettes.
Malson
J L
JL
National Institute on Drug Abuse, Intramural Research Program, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Sims
K
K
Murty
R
R
Pickworth
W B
WB
D000293:Adolescent; D002849:Chromatography, Gas; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D009538:Nicotine / Q000032:analysis*; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D014026:Nicotiana / Q000737:chemistry*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States
D009538:Nicotine