Bidis and Health

SteveM

Hi Folks

Anybody experienced the bidi cigarettes?
What are the health implications?

pooch

They're generally considered more harmful than cigarettes. You get herbal bidis though which are tobacco free, very hard to find though, perhaps easier to come across up north ?

Bigzero

bidis have more tar, and they spoil your teeth much, much quicker. same might apply for the lungs too.

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seventies'hippy

Oh yes, I used to be a Bidi smoker, ( though a non-smoker these days) sometimes they used to be about the only thing I could afford to buy, apart from a single 'Passing Show' now & again.
Those little conical packets they come in were'nt the best packaging, as you
got through them the package got looser & looser, The only fault with them at the time was that you often had to re-light them, they didn't burn through like a cigarette. Though the inhale could be vey hot
I imagine that thy're very bad for the health,,,,,,,,

Ikuru

They are verry cheap (like 5rs)
They smell pretty good.
They Don´t taste that good.
You have to suck allot or they go out.
Word is they are verry unhealthy.
You Can Buy them outside india sometimes.
One time some girls here in sweden where smoking a bidi and the police came up to them herasing them, convinced it was a Joint.

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SteveM

Thanks folks for your comments.

Is it illegal to smoke or sell bidis in the UK?

seventies'hippy

I think that they are legal, It looks like we also import them,

*snip*
the poor man's mini cigar, is proving an unlikely export earner whith rising sales in overseas market. Top Indian Bidi brands are begining to do brisk business in countries as diverse as Britain, Switzerland, West Indies and Indonesia.
Full Story Here

Ikuru

I think you can get them anywhere, but you have to look around (try the incents counter in the "exotic" import shops).

There was this big thing in the swedish papers some year ago, they where selling Bidis with different flavors here (sweden) and in the US etc to atract the teen crowd. You can read more about it here.

Bigzero

Very true! i had smoked bidis while i was in college ( an ex-smoker like you, seventies - successfully running the 5th non-smoking year) . almost had my lips burnt many times! and you are right about the packet coming loose...

another aspect of the bidi is that a dark, extremely bitter liquid ( i guess it is something from the beedi leave - no clue - perhaps tar ). oozes out from the rear end, and really puts you off sometimes.

my favourite brands were - Mangalore Ganesh, Dinesh & Kaja! i remember buying a pack for 50 ps or so.

usha

Both are bad as well as for the person who is using it and for the people sitting next to him/her.

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Bigzero

quite true!

one big difference that has come about in India in the last 5-10 years is that the social acceptability for smoking is coming down steadily. ( especially in urban areas ). smoking is banned ( though in paper ) in trains, and other public places . this has not stopped smoking altogether, but you have people thinking twice about lighting up while they are with people. I remember seeing people smoking to their heart's ( or lung's ) content in sleeper compartment, surrounded by ladies, kids, etc etc, and no one raising any objection. Nowadays, people object, and smokers comply most of the time. I see less of smoking in residences nowadays - actually next to nil. 20-30 years back smoking at home was like drinking water ( at least in kerala ) - nobody found anything wrong with that.

so i guess things are changing for the better. and smokers are enjoying a good smoke in private.

edwardseco

Ah, the glorious bidi. Now smoked by kids in this country because they think they look like drugs and are legal, losers (as an ex bidi smoker)..

bijapuri

I can't seem to stay away from them when in India, but have no desire for them in USA. As u can see, family does NOT approve!

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India Edge

Well, if you're interested in things Indian ya have to try the things, right? I found their effects very unpleasant - they made me dizzy. I read somewhere that some contain or are wrapped in belladonna leaf. Love the little packages though...

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SteveM

I smoked bidis for the first time in Goa late last year and enjoyed them. A guy in our hotel had a reaction to them and his face swelled out for a few days. I have never smoked the herbal or the strawberry, chocolate etc; but when in Rome....