Female smoking may have a common origin in Aztec society, but it developed decidedly differently in the United States than in modern society. Particles that settle in tobacco smoke have been shown to combine with gases in the air to form carcinogenic compounds that settle on surfaces. For example, some of the carcinogens known to cause lung cancer have been found in dust samples taken from the homes of people who smoke. Research has also shown that third-hand smoke can damage human DNA in cell cultures and increase the risk of lung cancer in laboratory animals.
The figure shows that, for Wave 5, about 56 percent of exclusive adult users of premium cigars from Wave 1 remained as such, while about 35 percent stopped consuming cigars and cigarettes. Among consumers of premium cigars, 60.3 percent reported smoking only 1 or 2 days in the 30 days prior to the survey, compared to 38.1 percent of consumers of non-premium cigars. The consumption of premium cigars is less common among young people, and only 0.6 percent of those who reported having smoked a brand of premium cigars in the past 30 days were under 18 years old. The data in both commissioned documents further reinforces that consumers of premium cigars are older than users of other types of cigars; only 0.6 percent of them.
As shown in Figure 3-6 (panel A), approximately 75 percent of the exclusive consumers of premium cigars who continued to smoke these cigarettes a year later included 69.2 percent who remained exclusive consumers of premium cigars, 2.5 percent and 2.8 percent who became dual consumers of other types of cigars and cigarettes, respectively, and 0.5 percent who became polytobacco users of premium cigars, other cigars and cigarettes, respectively, and 0.5 percent who became polytobacco consumers of premium cigars, other cigars and cigarettes. From the turn of the century until the last few decades, smoking by American and European women continued to be a covert issue. About 68 percent of exclusive consumers of premium cigars who had smoked less than 6 days in the past 30 days continued to smoke premium cigars the following year, either as exclusive consumers (63.0 percent) or as dual consumers of other combustible tobacco products (5.2 percent) (Figure 3-6, panel B). Although these denominations are no longer used, historically, the tobacco industry has called cigars premium class H (Hoyt, 200), although it is possible that all class H cigars are not premium (p.
(e.g., total cigar consumption began to decline in the mid-1970s and reached its lowest level in 1993, when the promotion of premium cigars reversed general consumption trends for all types of cigars). If the association between men and cigars in American culture is strong (in fact, as overwhelming as the smoke of Cohiba in a room without windows), the bond between women and cigars is, well, shrouded in smoke and mystery. Except for alcohol dependence, substance dependence appears to be higher among consumers of premium cigars than among non-smokers, but lower than among users of cigars and non-premium cigarettes. Unlike white people in NH, black people in NH did not show a decrease in cigar consumption and, in fact, cigar consumption increased among black women in NH.
This chapter provides an overview of what is known about the usage patterns of “premium 1” cigars, starting with an overview of the total consumption of cigars over time, followed by the prevalence and trends in the consumption of premium cigars compared to other types of cigarettes2 and combustible tobacco products, and a summary of the available data on the joint use of premium cigars with other tobacco products or substances and what is known about the start and transition to cigarettes from first quality and the transition to other tobacco products. From 1993 to 1996, premium cigars experienced greater growth than small or large cigars. In addition, very few consumers of premium cigars (2.5 percent) in the NSDUH identified themselves as lesbian, gay or bisexual; on the contrary, 9.7 percent of consumers of non-premium cigarettes did so.
