A survey by Quit Victoria has revealed that almost 1 in 2 smokers between the ages of 18 and 29 in Victoria believe that rolling their own cigarettes is a healthier option.
The phone survey conducted randomly over 4000 respondents, found that smokers in Melbourne are more likely than those in regional areas to believe that their hand-rolled cigarettes were healthier.
Quit Victoria director Dr. Sarah White said the idea that hand-rolled cigarettes were healthier or safer was “really alarming”.
“There is a perception among smokers that these products are more ‘natural’ and don’t contain additives — but this couldn’t be further from the truth,” she said.
“Not only do tobacco companies use similar additives in loose tobacco as they do in cigarettes, these additives tend to be added in even higher amounts.
Quit Victoria said roll-your-own cigarettes had become more popular in recent years, particularly amongst younger smokers.
Ms White said: “Smoking any form of tobacco delivers nicotine, tar and thousands of other disease-causing substances straight to the lungs and into the bloodstream, which is incredibly harmful to health”.
For support to help quit smoking call the Quitline on 13 78 48