What's all this talk about smoking "bidis?"

Bidis or beedies are small, flavored, filterless cigarettes made in India that have gained popularity among America's teenagers. They consist of shredded tobacco rolled in dried tendu leaves (a broad-leafed plant native to India) and secured with string. They are produced in a variety of flavors, including chocolate, vanilla, cherry, licorice and mango.

Bidis are NOT a safe alternative to cigarettes. One study found that one bidi produces more than THREE times the amount of CARBON MONOXIDE and NICOTINE, and more than FIVE times the amount of TAR than one cigarette, when tested on a standard smoking machine. Here are some of the ingredients in bidis:

• Ammonia--------------------Floor/toilet cleaner

• Acetone----------------------Nail polish remover

• Arsenic-----------------------Rat poison

• Formaldehyde---------------Preserves dead bodies

• Hydrogen cyanide----------Gas chamber poison

• Methane----------------------Swamp gas

Bidi smokers have an increased risk of coronary heart disease, cancers, tuberculosis and asthma. Bidi use during pregnancy is very dangerous to the unborn child.

According to the tobacco product definitions of the Federal Trade Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Master Tobacco Settlement Agreement, bidis fall under the definition of cigarettes. Therefore, it is ILLEGAL for retailers to sell bidis to individuals under the age of 18; they must be taxed, and they must display the Surgeon General's Warning on the box.