I want to make a 100% biodegradable, 100% additive-free, 100% organic cigarette with both tobacco and smokable medicinal herbs (that aren’t mind-altering but flavorful) so that
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The health burden caused by today’s tobacco brands will be greatly reduced
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One of the biggest pollutants, cigarette butts, will also be greatly reduced
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America will grow its export economy with both innovation and quality in the tobacco industry.
Recently, the Biden White House announced a new FDA rule to lower nicotine levels in our current tobacco brands. While this appears as a step in the right direction, nicotine in of itself isn’t nearly as harmful as the artificial additives in modern cigarettes.
More importantly, it does not get to the root of the problem: The government regulation of tobacco is so strict, burdensome and expensive that it makes competition in the marketplace virtually impossible.
The current landscape is the result of the compromise between the health insurance companies and Big Tobacco during the Obama Care negotiations: Big Tobacco would be greatly hindered in expanding its domestic market so that insurance wouldn’t have an increasing burden of a now-mandatory coverage of smokers. In exchange for accepting a shrinking market, Big Tobacco was essentially given a monopoly of that smaller pie via a virtually impossible approval process for new brands.
With this legalized monopoly, Big Tobacco has gotten away with deteriorating the quality of its actual tobacco while not having any challenge to its bevy of additives. The health impact has been disastrous while the global image of American tobacco as a quality product has evaporated (American brands sell in other markets, but they must manufacture significantly different cigarettes since the domestic blends would not pass most international standards).
While there is an argument for an outright ban, it’s an impractical and philosophically controversial solution. Millions are already addicted to smoking and therefore will smoke, regardless of the rules and regulations. A complete ban would also open up a can of worms to ban many other products, expanding the government’s power in interpreting what it deems “harmful”.
Instead, let’s take a practical approach that would not only greatly reduce health issues and associated costs from smoking but also increase the taxes and prestige of the American export economy.
I implore Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the heads of all relevant agencies under his jurisdiction to implement the principle of free market philosophy to the tobacco industry. If the government is to spend its time, money and energy on the this product, then please fund studies that will not only expose the harmful impacts of additives and low-quality tobacco but also the differences between that and high-quality, additive-free tobacco as well as smokable medicinal herbs.
For those interested in the specifics of my proposed cigarette:
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Paper - Plenty of companies already produce unbleached papers made of pure hemp, rice, gum, etc. Look into RAW Unrefined Organic cigarette rolling papers as an example.
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Filter - Unbleached, organic cellulose. No artificial chemicals. Look into Greengo Biodegradable filter tips as an example.
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Adhesive - Organic , all-natural cellulose-based adhesive. No artificial chemicals. Look into Gluegar and Stickywoods adhesives as examples.
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Tobacco - No pesticides, no GMOs, no “refining” and cutting with fillers. Pure tobacco leaf. Look into Natural American Spirit rolling tobacco 100% Organic Blend as an example.
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Herbs - There are a variety of smokable herbs, many of which can be found in tea blends, that have medicinal properties without mind-altering effects and are flavorful. Some specific examples are Mullein, Chamomile, Red Raspberry Leaf, Lavender, Lobelia, Peppermint, Wormwood and Mugwort. Look into Bear Blend as an example.