Bidi Cigarette Risks

Bidis (pronounced bee-dees and also known as beedis) are small hand-rolled cigarettes made of tobacco and wrapped in tendu or temburni leaf (Diospyros melanoxylon), a plant native to Asia. Bidis are manufactured in India and other southeast Asian countries and exported around the world.

In India, bidi cigarettes are less expensive and more heavily consumed than traditional commercial cigarettes. It is a common misconception that because these cigarettes are less expensive, they are also less harmful. That is untrue. Bidis are as harmful as other cigarettes and can cause death from lung and heart disease.

This article discusses what bidis are, how they are made, and their potential health risks. 

What Are Bidi Cigarettes?

Bidis are sometimes referred to as "cigarettes with training wheels" by health authorities. Like clove cigarettes, the overall appearance and taste of this product are especially appealing to young people.

They are typically tied on one or both ends with bits of colorful string and produced in a variety of flavors that appeal to kids, including chocolate, mango, vanilla, lemon-lime, mint, pineapple, and cherry.

Bidi cigarettes gained popularity in the United States in the mid-1990s. Young American smokers were attracted to bidis because they were easier to obtain than traditional cigarettes, provided a rush of nicotine, and were small, flavored, and looked like marijuana joints.

Bidi cigarettes are not associated with the Bidi brand of disposable vape products.

Regulation

By 1999, there was a call to action against bidis by state attorneys general. These officials urged Congress and federal authorities to stop their import to the U.S. 

Bidi consumption significantly declined in February of 2014 when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered four brands of bidi cigarettes be removed from the market: Sutra Bidis, Sutra Bidis Red, Sutra Bidis Menthol, and Sutra Bidis Red Cone. The manufacturer was unable (or unwilling) to provide documentation that proved the products do not raise new or different health concerns for the general public. 

This was the first tobacco ban put in place as a result of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act that gave the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco products was in the United States. Bidis can still be purchased online, but have lost popularity in the United States since the ban.

Health Risks of Bidis

In some respects, bidis are actually more harmful than regular commercial cigarettes produced in the U.S.

• Bidi cigarettes contain three to five times more nicotine than traditional cigarettes, which means that there is an increased risk of nicotine addiction.
• Bidi cigarettes contain more tar and carbon monoxide than regular cigarettes.
• People who smoke bidis breathe in higher levels of toxins because bidis don't have chemicals added to help with combustion. People must draw on a bidi cigarette more often and with more force to keep it from going out.

People who smoke bidis have an increased risk of oral cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, and esophageal cancer. The risk of heart disease and heart attack is three times higher for bidi smokers than nonsmokers. Bidi smoking is also associated with emphysema and increases the risk of chronic bronchitis.

A Word From Verywell

Bidi cigarettes are hazardous to human health and should not be considered a safe alternative to traditional cigarettes. Parents should proactively teach their children early on about the dangers of bidi cigarettes and smoking in general.