Student Health Services

Cigars differ from cigarettes in both their size and the type of tobacco used.  Cigars vary in size and shape and can be up to 7 inches long.  Large cigars contain 5-17 grams of tobacco and can take 1-2 hours to smoke, while the average cigarette contains about 1 gram and take about 10 minutes to smoke.  Cigars contain about 100-200 milligrams of nicotine, while cigarettes average about 8.4 milligrams.  Premium cigars can each contain the tobacco equivalent of an entire pack of cigarettes.  Because of their size, smoking a cigar is like smoking 3-8 cigarettes. 

Cigar smoke contains many toxic and carcinogenic compounds that are harmful.  Cigars do not have filters to reduce tar and nicotine.  Many people smoke cigars only occasionally and most do not inhale the smoke.  Smoke enters the mouth, throat and lungs even if you don’t mean to inhale.  Smoking a cigar directly exposes the lips, mouth, throat and larynx to harmful compounds. Even holding an unlit cigar between your lips exposes them to carcinogens.  When you swallow saliva that contains smoke constituents the esophagus in exposed to carcinogens.   

Because of the composition of cigar smoke and the tendency of cigar smokers not to inhale, the nicotine is absorbed predominantly through the lining of the mouth rather than in the lung. It is important to note that nicotine absorbed through the lining of the mouth is capable of forming a powerful addiction, as demonstrated by the large number of people addicted to smokeless tobacco. Both inhaled and non-inhaled nicotine can be addictive.

An estimated 6.9% of African American, 6.0% of white, 4.6% of Hispanic, 10.9% of American Indian/Alaska Native and 1.8% of Asian American adults are current cigar smokers. Fourteen percent of high school students and 5% of middle school students are current cigar smokers.  In both age groups males report smoking cigars more than females.  Cigar smoking occurs primarily among males between ages 35-64 who have higher educational backgrounds and incomes.  Today most new cigar users are young adult males ages 18-24.  In 2005, cigar sales in the United States rose 15.3% and generated more than $2.9 billion in retail sales. 

Students can get free one-on-one tobacco cessation help through Student Health Services by calling 737-WELL or making an appointment at SHS.