Cigarette industry: from the roots to the rise

Cigarette production is considered to be one of the most profitable businesses of the 21st century. Sadly, cigarettes hold the status of the world’s best-selling products. And although cigarettes were ‘invented’ several hundred years ago, the global smoking tendency is disastrous. According to the latest data, cigarettes consumption volume in the UK is estimated at 39.7 bn. units annually.

‘Cigarette’, a word of French origin, means ‘little cigars’, a twist of paper, usually with a filter, and stuffed with tobacco. As a rule the paper used in the manufacture of cigarettes is prepared from flax fiber, a substance comprising 15 – 35% of calcium carbonate. By itself, tobacco burns slowly; therefore, adding components that accelerate burning is widely practiced.

It is known that the indigenous inhabitants of the American continent back in the first century BC used tobacco for medical and religious purposes. Thanks to a breakthrough Columbus expedition, the plant came to Europe and its cultivation began. The first products, vaguely reminiscent of modern analogues, appeared in Spain and the Mediterranean countries. Another historical event connected to cigarettes popularity growth: the Crimean War, when Russian military and Turkish men of arms used bullets liners to wrap tobacco and smoke. The British have adopted this method and spread around the world. Another important factor contributing to the popularity of cigarettes in the United States was the invention of the machines that stuffed tobacco shells. A little earlier, a range of new varieties of bright tobacco, such as White Burley, were introduced.

During the first decades of the twentieth century a fierce struggle between cigars and cigarettes took place. A more simple product won, and its advantage was settled during the First World War – the cigarette boom time, when ciggies were provided by tobacco companies. In addition the fact is partially explained by ​​emancipation idea gaining momentum. As women has started playing a new role in society, manufacturers in their turn have quickly expanded their selections of options with cigarettes for ladies.

Cigarettes ruin your health – it’s a common knowledge backed by thousands of researches. And still there is plenty of myths out there perceived as truthful. Here’s one of them: light cigarettes are less harmful to your body. Hence, they are quite popular among women and those trying to give up the habit. Undoubtedly, the content of harmful substances such is lower. Furthermore, the filters in these cigarettes have more holes, providing additional air flow, diluting tar and nicotine. Nevertheless, the problem is that the damaging effect is produced by specific doses of these substances, and the actual content of harming substances is no longer crucial. Therefore, this type of cigarettes still hurts your health.

Yet another myth to consider: herbal cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, so they are not harmful to your body. And, it is not really so. Basing on comprehensive article on herbal cigarettes at Herbal Health, an aspiring UK-based herbal health project concentrating its efforts on healthy life aspects, this type of cigarettes has an adverse impact on your body too, mainly because of products of combustion.