Bidi

A bidi (from Hindi)(pronounced bee-dee, also known as biri, bidi, beadi, beedie) is a thin, often flavored, Indian cigarette made of tobacco wrapped in a tendu (or temburini) (Diospyros melonoxylon roxb.) leaf and secured with colored thread at one end. They are smaller than regular cigarettes, but more potent. Because they do not have a filter and are wrapped in nonporous leaves, a smoker needs to inhale more often and more deeply to keep them lit. One bidi produces three times more carbon monoxide and nicotine, and five times more tar than a regular cigarette.1 Tobacco content in bidis is 10-20% and apart from regular cigarettes, bidis dont have added chemicals. Bidi-rolling is a very important cottage industry in India. The process of rolling a bidi is very similar to that of a handmade cigarette. The cost is kept low by using child labour and the labour from people of lower castes.

There is much controversy surrounding the bidi, as many groups claim that its fruity flavors (such as strawberry, chocolate, and mango) as well as its cheap price per pack ($1-$3.50 U.S.) attract children to smoking. According to a 1999 survey by San Franciscos Booker T Washington Community Service Center, 58% of high school students in the city had tried them and 31% smoked them at least once a month. 70% of packs purchased contained no warning labels, and about 40% did not contain tax-paid stamps, contributing to their low cost.

Bidis have long been popular among the poor in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and India who can not afford regular cigarettes. In India, 800 billion are smoked every year.

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