Loose tobacco more dangerous than factory-made cigarettes

WELLINGTON: Special measures might be needed to curb a rising tendency in Western nations for smokers to roll their own cigarettes—either to cut the cost of smoking or from a belief that loose tobacco is less hazardous than factory-made cigarettes, a New Zealand expert warned Wednesday.

Evidence showed that roll-your-own (RYO) cigarettes were at least as harmful as the factory-rolled type, although many RYO smokers falsely believed they were more "natural" and less dangerous, said University of Otago Wellington Professor of Public Health Richard Edwards