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The TRUTH
About Cigars
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Large
cigars or stogies, cigarillos, and little cigars are
the three major types of cigars sold in the United States.
A
cigar is classified as any roll of tobacco wrapped in
leaf tobacco or in any substance containing tobacco
whereas a cigarette is any roll or tobacco wrapped in
paper or in any substance not containing tobacco.
Cigars
contain the same toxic and carcinogenic compounds found
in cigarettes and are not a safe alternative to cigarettes.
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History
of the Cigar |
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The indigenous
inhabitants of the islands of the Caribbean Sea and Mesoamerica
have smoked cigars since as early as the 10th century,
as evidenced by the discovery of a ceramic vessel at a
Mayan archaeological site in Uaxactún, Guatemala,
decorated with the painted figure of a man smoking a primitive
cigar. Explorer Christopher Columbus is generally credited
with the introduction of smoking to Europe.
In the 19th century, cigar smoking was common while cigarettes
were still comparatively rare. The cigar business was
an important industry, and factories employed many people
before mechanized manufacturing of cigars became practical.
Many modern cigars, as a matter of prestige, are still
rolled by hand; some boxes bear the phrase Totalmente
a mano, "Totally by hand," as proof.
Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cigar
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How is a Cigar Different From a Cigarette? |
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tax purposes, the Department of Treasury defines
cigars as "any roll of tobacco wrapped in leaf
tobacco or in any substance containing tobacco"
while a cigarette is defined as "any roll of
tobacco wrapped in paper or in any substance not
containing tobacco." |
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Cigarettes are relatively uniform in size and
appearance and contain less than one gram of tobacco
each. Cigars, on the other hand, vary considerably
in size, from the size of a cigarette to more
than 7 inches long. Large cigars typically contain
between 5 and 17 grams of tobacco.
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It is not unusual for some premium cigars to contain
the tobacco equivalent of an entire pack of cigarettes.
Large cigars can take between one and two hours
to smoke, whereas most cigarettes on the U.S. market
take less than 10 minutes to smoke.
Reference:
http://www.tobaccofreeca.org/cigars.html |
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The
Health Effects of Cigar Use |
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Are
Cigars Addictive? |
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Nicotine
is the agent in tobacco and tobacco smoke capable of producing
addiction or nicotine dependence. Most cigars contain
nicotine in quantities equivalent to several cigarettes
and can deliver nicotine in concentrations comparable
to those delivered by cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.
When cigar smokers inhale, nicotine is absorbed rapidly
as it is with cigarette smoke inhalation. For those who
do not actively inhale, nicotine is absorbed predominantly
through the lining of the mouth which leads to a slower
rise and lower peak of nicotine in the blood compared
to cigarette smokers who absorb nicotine primarily through
the lungs. However, both inhaled and noninhaled nicotine
can be highly addictive.
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Reasons
to Quit Cigars |
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Tobacco
use, whether cigarettes, cigars, or smokeless tobacco,
causes almost twice as many strokes, heart attacks,
and other cardiovascular diseases than it does lung
cancer.
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Cigar
smokers who inhale are 6 times more likely to die
from oral cancer and 39 times more likely to die
from laryngeal cancers than nonsmokers.
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Men
who smoke 5 or more cigars per day are 2 to 3 times
more likely to die of lung cancer than nonsmokers.
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Reference:
http://www.tobaccofreeca.com/cigars.html |
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