Source: News India Times
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, April 2, 2001: Hand-rolled cigarettes called bidis are becoming popular in mainstream America especially among teenagers and college students. Behind the strawberry, cinnamon, orange, and chocolate flavours lurks a higher nicotine and tar content. A study conducted in conjunction with the National Institute on Drug Abuse showed eleven out of twelve brands to have a 28% higher concentration of nicotine than traditional unfiltered cigarettes. Other studies have demonstrated that bidi smokers are twice as likely to contract lung cancer and five times more at risk of suffering heart disease than those who smoke filtered cigarettes. Attorney Generals across the U.S. have collaborated to try to put a stop to the import of bidis into the country.