Beedi

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A packet of Ganesh beedies.

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Beedi brands.

A beedi (from Hindi बीड़ी, (pronounced: Template:IPA) also known as bidi or biri) is a thin, often flavored, South Asian cigarette made of tobacco wrapped in a tendu (or temburini; Diospyros melonoxylon) leaf, and secured with colored thread at one end. Beedies, though smaller than regular cigarettes produce three times more carbon monoxide and nicotine, and five times more tar than a regular cigarette. Tobacco content in beedies is 10-20%, and, unlike regular cigarettes, beedies do not contain added chemicals. Like all tobacco products, use can cause various cancers.

Beedi-rolling is a cottage industry in India and are typically done by women in their homes. The process of rolling a beedi is similar to that of a handmade cigarette.

Due to the relatively low cost of Beedies (compared to regular cigarettes), they have long been popular among the poor in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and India. In India, 850 billion are smoked every year.

Outside South Asia

Beedies, while controversial outside of South Asia, are available in many fruity flavors (such as vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and mango). Their availability in Indian food markets is usually under the authorities' radar, due to the markets' ethnic clientele and ostensible focus on food, drink, and provisions (and omission of alcohol products). A 1999 survey by San Francisco's Booker T Washington Community Service Center reported that 58% of high school students in San Francisco had tried them, and 31% smoked them at least once a month. Seventy percent of packs purchased contained no warning labels, and about 40% did not contain tax-paid stamps, contributing to their low cost. Many students who have tried a beedi believe it to be less harmful than a regular cigarette due to the ease of inhalation and absence of warning labels.