WHO Report on Bidi Smoking and Public Health

Bidis are small hand-rolled cigarettes 7-8 times more common in India than conventional cigarettes. When compared to conventional cigarettes, "bidis produce equal or higher levels of nicotine, tar, and other toxic chemicals." Their consumption and market penetration is spreading far beyond the national borders of India. "Bidi Smoking and Public Health" is an analysis and synthesis of the latest information from India and the United States and serves as a resource authority on this increasingly prevalent form of smoking. Among the topics discussed include: history, culture, marketing, promotion, availability, prevalence, chemistry, toxicology, pharmacology, abuse potential, laboratory studies, disease consequences, economics, public health policy strategies, policy implications, and global policy for regulating bidis and bidi smoking. The disease consequence chapter specifically discusses pulmonary tuberculosis, lung disease, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and oral mucosal lesions related to bidi smoking. This report is intended to be the standard reference on bidis with the goals of encouraging research and promoting policy strategies for regulating bidis.