Get the FACTS on Cigars
The giant stogie you remember from old movies still exists, but today’s kids have traded it in for cigar products that come in many other shapes and sizes. Many look just like cigarettes.
Little Cigars or Cigarillos are shreedded tobacco tightly rolled in tobacco paper or leaves that come in many different flavors in addition to sizes.
Little cigars can look a lot like cigarettes. They’re usually darker in color and may have a filter.
Cigarillos come in many different flavors like grape, apple, orange, cherry, peach and mint.
The average full-sized cigar is about 7 inches long. It’s a whole lot of tobacco wrapped up in that little package.
Cigar products can be sold as singles, or in pairs and packs. Which makes them more affordable
Research shows that kids are more likely to avoid risky behaviors when they have an open, trusting relationship with parents and other caregivers, so talk to your kids about e-cigarettes and share what you know with parents, teachers, and others.
Most of us are familiar with the many serious health risks associated with smoking cigarettes. Smoking cigars is just as dangerous and can negatively impact every organ in a young person’s body.
Don’t be fooled by those sweet flavors. Flavors like strawberry, sour apple, and chocolate can give the impression that flavored cigars, little cigars, and cigarillos are milder versions of conventional tobacco, but sweet and minty flavors just help mask the harsh taste of cigar smoke—making cigar products easier to use, but not safe.
Smoking cigars isn’t a popular move. It’s natural for kids to want to keep up with their friends and classmates. Unfortunately, young people often overestimate just how popular tobacco is among their peers. Remind your child that most Wisconsin teens choose to live tobacco free. In fact, 94% of Wisconsin high schoolers aren’t smoking cigars.
Cheaper doesn’t mean less potent. Because they’re often sold as singles, cigar products can be surprisingly cheap, but a low price doesn’t necessarily mean less tobacco, fewer chemicals, or less harm done. A single, large cigar can contain an entire cigarette pack’s worth of tobacco.
Cigars aren’t a safe alternative to cigarettes. No tobacco product is safe. Smoking cigars kills about 9,000 people in the U.S. each year. Just 1 cigar can contain 1 pack of cigarettes worth of tobacco.
Smoking cigars is just as dangerous and can contribute to heart disease, lung disease, tooth decay and gum disease and cancers of the mouth, throat, and lungs
The nicotine in cigar products can harm an adolescent’s growing brain, and cigar smoke contains many of the same toxic, cancer-causing chemicals found in cigarettes.
Cigar or Cigarillo use isn’t meant to be safer! It can still increase risk of CANCERS later in life.
Concerned about a kid’s well-being?
Call 211 or 1-833-944-4673
The Wisconsin Addiction Recovery Helpline can help you find local services and support. It’s free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.