Smoking is... good?

[adlen11]

According to me, smoking is not good for health.

 

[Gaby]

According to me, smoking is not good for health.

According to research and the experience of many, the opposite is the case. It will be worthwhile reviewing this thread and the recommended research, as your view on the subject might be tainted by the heavy programming the anti-tobacco lobby promotes. While smoking might not be for everybody, there is a lot to gain from tobacco's medicinal and healing properties.

 

[Str!ke]

According to me, smoking is not good for health.

And also the several articles on Sott about smoking.

http://www.sott.net/topic/26-Smoking

 

[Keit]

According to me, smoking is not good for health.

Perhaps. Maybe for you it isn't beneficial, because as Psyche said, smoking isn't for everyone. But if you would do the proper research, you would be able to see that there are clear benefits to the tobacco, and nicotine in particular. It's true that in this respect rolling tobacco is much better than the usual commercial cigarettes (when most of them don't have more than 15% of real tobacco, and usually less than this), but interestingly enough, those who are behind the anti-smoking campaigns don't make this distinction, and you have to wonder why. Why this essential substance is being presented in a negative light, when we even have nicotinic receptors in our brain? Perhaps for the same reason they fluoridate our water nowadays, since nicotine boosts our brain power:

From http://www.sott.net/article/254745-Nicotine-The-Zombie-Antidote

Tobacco has nicotine in it, which is related to acetylcholine, and this fact is very important indeed, as we are going to learn.

Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter responsible for learning and memory. It is also calming, relaxing and is also a major factor regulating the immune system. Acetylcholine also acts as a major brake on inflammation in the body and inflammation is linked to every known disease. For example, inflammation of the brain is linked to every known mood, behavior and attention disorder and every neuro-degenerative disease.

Receptors for acetylcholine, also known as cholinergic receptors, fall into two categories based on the chemicals that mimic or antagonize the actions of acetylcholine on its many target cell types. In classical studies, nicotine, isolated from tobacco, was one of the chemicals used to distinguish receptors for acetylcholine. That is why there are nicotinic receptors for acetylcholine.

People who smoke often experience cognitive impairment when they stop smoking. This worsening is due to the fact that nicotine acts as an agonist (that is, it mimics) receptors of acetylcholine which are important for learning, memory and cognitive functions. Daily infusions of nicotine actually increase the number of acetylcholine receptors.

As in a kind of 'blessing from above', local and systemic inflammation is calmed down by the brain through what is called the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, which is a mechanism consisting of the vagus nerve and its neurotransmitter acetylcholine, a process dependent on a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor1. Nicotine, the prototypical nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, counteracts inflammatory cytokine production and has demonstrated protective effects in blood poisoning2.

Nicotine has also been used to prevent kidney failure and improve kidney function. Nicotinic receptors in the brain are associated with neuronal plasticity and cell survival, which is why tobacco has been linked with better thinking and concentration. Nicotine has been used to treat ulcerative colitis, a disease characterized by inflammation of the large intestine3. It is clear from available medical literature that the benefits are far-ranging when it comes to this natural compound - nicotine - that acts as an anti-inflammatory and facilitates the creation of new brain cells!

 

[Deleted member 8431]

It's true that in this respect rolling tobacco is much better than the usual commercial cigarettes (when most of them don't have more than 15% of real tobacco, and usually less than this), but interestingly enough, those who are behind the anti-smoking campaigns don't make this distinction, and you have to wonder why.

Well, I didn't know that. I thought it was only a question of chemical additives.

So what are we talking about when speaking about the other 85%? Random plant material?

I'm asking because it could be a very handy fact to know when refuting anti-smoking claims.

Sorry if it has been mentioned before. I don't recall having seen this information.

 

[Keit]

Well, I didn't know that. I thought it was only a question of chemical additives.

So what are we talking about when speaking about the other 85%? Random plant material?

I'm asking because it could be a very handy fact to know when refuting anti-smoking claims.

Sorry if it has been mentioned before. I don't recall having seen this information.

This is what we were told by our biochemistry teacher during one of his lectures. Of course he made this claim as part of his usual anti-smoking routine, but later while talking to me, he couldn't provide a proper counter-argument to the "but I smoke a rolling 100% natural tobacco". And after hearing me talking about nicotine receptors and acetylcholine he basically left me alone and didn't even flinch when he saw me smoking while passing by on his way to the faculty building

In any case, it probably depends on the brand, but the rest of the 85% may consist of either other parts of tobacco, or older and shredded stuff that doesn't have the same beneficial effect of natural rolling tobacco. In cheaper cigarettes there maybe be wood shredding instead, or something else, etc. And yeah, it's a good pro-smoking claim, and I often use it for others to leave me alone or in order to provide them with some information.

(Example: "Oh, you smoke, euuu!
me: Well yeah, of course. It's good for the brain. And look, it's tobacco!
them: So what? Are you nuts, Good for the brain? And what's the difference if it's tobacco?
me: Well....(insert info from articles and research about benefits of smoking))

It came to the point where my friends became very tolerant of me smoking, and get angry at me when they see me smoking usual cigarettes. Sometimes I ran out of tobacco and have no time to take a bus to the specific shopping center to buy it, so they offer to go and buy it for me instead of watching me smoking regular cigarettes. ;)

 

[SeekinTruth]

As far as I know, most big commercial cigarette brands use "sheet tobacco" which is reconstituted stems and byproducts of tobacco processing from "third world" countries. At least this is the case in the U.S. It's due to loopholes in the laws concerning importing tobacco products: these byproducts, etc. from other countries are exempt from the laws, making it extremely cheap to get them into the cigarette manufacturers' plants and then make a sheet (much of the chemical additives is to make this reconstituted sheet) from which to cut the "tobacco" for their cigarettes. It's kind of stretching it to even consider it tobacco.

By the way, very amusing story, Keit, about your friends now admonishing you to smoke real tobacco instead of commercial cigarettes.

 

[Deleted member 8431]

And after hearing me talking about nicotine receptors and acetylcholine he basically left me alone and didn't even flinch when he saw me smoking while passing by on his way to the faculty building

:D

Héhéhé. I can just imagine your teacher then rushing to the store to buy a pack of cigarettes and hiding in his car smoking like an engine thinking about the nicotinic & acetylcholine receptors.

It came to the point where my friends became very tolerant of me smoking, and get angry at me when they see me smoking usual cigarettes. Sometimes I ran out of tobacco and have no time to take a bus to the specific shopping center to buy it, so they offer to go and buy it for me instead of watching me smoking regular cigarettes. ;)

Wow! These are good friends! At least it seems that they understood what it's all about. *Sigh* I wish everyone was that open.

As far as I know, most big commercial cigarette brands use "sheet tobacco" which is reconstituted stems and byproducts of tobacco processing from "third world" countries. At least this is the case in the U.S. It's due to loopholes in the laws concerning importing tobacco products: these byproducts, etc. from other countries are exempt from the laws, making it extremely cheap to get them into the cigarette manufacturers' plants and then make a sheet (much of the chemical additives is to make this reconstituted sheet) from which to cut the "tobacco" for their cigarettes. It's kind of stretching it to even consider it tobacco.

Ahhh, thanks for the answer. *Shudders*

''Hey boss, what do I do about this mice poop?''

''Just throw it in. This is for our special blend.''

Well, I wouldn't bet that it's any better in Canada. What you described just reminds me of how they make paper. Make some pulp with whatever tobacco byproducts you have, spice it up with chemicals, make nice sheets, shred them and sell the crap at high costs. No thank you. I'll stick with my pure stuff.

Another question that bugs me is about the anti-smoking campaigns. Why don't we see tobacco companies defending themselves? I mean, they must not be really happy about losing more and more customers. Is it that the forces at play (PTB) overwhelms them? Or do they benefit from this in some way through collusion/corruption?

Oh and BTW, I order tobacco from Whole Leaf Tobacco (as proposed earlier in this thread) and the prices and customer service are excellent. $15.99 USD for a pound (454 g). My first order had taken weeks to arrive so Don (the owner) sent me another one with a free half-pound of Turkish (delicious) for the inconvenience. He even told me that if I didn't like the product, I wouldn't have to pay a cent. But I just loved it so I did pay him. Anyhow, I'm sharing this just in case someone is looking for a good and honnest tobacco supplier.

 

[James Henry]

Well I found a new toy to play with.

_http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/

The Legacy Tobacco Documents Library (LTDL) contains more than 14 million documents (80 million pages) created by major tobacco companies related to their advertising, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and scientific research activities.

...>>>

These collections are comprised of tobacco industry documents from the late nineteenth century up through the present with the bulk of the collections dated 1950 through 2002

As far as I know, most big commercial cigarette brands use "sheet tobacco" which is reconstituted stems and byproducts of tobacco processing from "third world" countries.

Searched for "sheet tobacco" and found 7,769 documents.
_http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/action/search/basic?fd=0&q=%22sheet+tobacco%22&df=er&c=at&c=ba&c=bw&c=tc&c=ca&c=ct&c=da&c=ga&c=lm&c=ll&c=mg&c=mm&c=pm&c=py&c=rj&c=re&c=ti&c=ub&c=us

This is from Doc 1 Page 1:
_http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/vgk84a99

SHEET TOBACCO PLANT
ASSUMPTIONS

1. (a) Total requirement of 2145 Tons tobacco scrap is wet through internal generation

(b) Cost of Inputs /kg

Tobacco Scrap
Cotton Pulp
Maize

Of course this is the big business side of things. But there is probably some interesting gems in those 80 million pages that were not originally meant to be public documents.

Happy searching!

 

[aaronfransen]

Well in April I started smoking cigars occasionally, but it wasn't my cup of tea.

But for my birthday I asked for a pipe. Now, I had smoked a pipe twenty years ago because I thought then that it was cool. Dumb. As I sit here smoking my black cavendish now, I realize how relaxing it is. The thing about pipes is that they take a bit of practice. I'm willing to make that sacrifice :)

Now to me the image of pipe smoking is one of either Sherlock Holmes or Albert Einstein, neither image of which I fit. I like to think that I have not gone prematurely grey due to the paleo diet, but the men in my family tend to look young anyways. The bottom line of which is that I do not look like the grandfatherly type relaxing on a Sunday evening reading the newspaper.

Nonetheless, it is undoubtedly a relaxing endeavour.

Thanks to Laura and the SOTT/cass folks for giving me the courage to give it a shot!

 

[SMM]

Do you have any suggestions for the UK?
We used to smoke Manitou green organic rolling tobacco,
but I can't seem to find it anywhere - also not online.

And, the prices...

Would be open to try something new, but preferably organic...

Can I just order from Europe or will they charge customs?
Also do you have any suggestions for paper and filters (used to OCB Hemp,
but that doesn't seem to exist here anywhere either ...)

Help much appreciated, thanks!

M.T.

Pueblo, American Spirit, Manito, Yuma, and a few others are available in supermarkets and online from UK sellers.
e.g. _http://www.thebackyshop.co.uk/

You can also order tobacco much more cheaply from EU countries such as Germany, but I'm not sure of the legal situation there so I'll say no more for now.

There are also numerous sellers of whole leaf tobacco in England, which is very cheap, just a little different to smoking pre-packaged stuff.

Skins? There are loads available http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCB-Premium-rolling-booklets-MakBros/dp/B008ABU7WW/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1374356893&sr=8-6&keywords=ocb+box
Roaches? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolling-Paper--Filter-Tips-Booklets/dp/B005DY1HD2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1374356990&sr=8-2&keywords=raw+tips
Filters? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400-Raw-Regular-Sized-Filter-Tips-100-Cotton-/151085393605?pt=UK_Collectables_Tobacciana_Smoking_LE&hash=item232d6426c5

Currently I smoke American Spirit with silver Rizlas but have been considering trying Pueblo. Are these two majorly different?
Also wondering about the skins & filters. I don't use filter tips, just roach with a bit of card.

I have a little glassblown pipe that I seldom use [& also needs cleaning] which I can use to smoke tobacco to free myself from the use of skins. I'm comfortable with roll-ups hence lack of usage

 

[Explorer]

Currently I smoke American Spirit with silver Rizlas but have been considering trying Pueblo. Are these two majorly different?
Also wondering about the skins & filters. I don't use filter tips, just roach with a bit of card.

I have a little glassblown pipe that I seldom use [& also needs cleaning] which I can use to smoke tobacco to free myself from the use of skins. I'm comfortable with roll-ups hence lack of usage

In my experience Pueblo is moister, finer and darker than American Spirit. From what I remember the taste is "nutty" and almost sweet when compared to AS. However, I found it to be weaker. Personally, it didn't agree with me, but my body is very funny when it comes to tobacco. Two thumbs up for taste, though. Give it a go!

 

[astrozombie]

Smoking manufactured cigs due cause cancer but it has nothing to do with the tobacco.

If anybody lives near an Indian reservation in the US, many are willing to sell their harvested and dried tobacco plants. The Syneca-Cayuga (SP?) tribe of Oklahoma is one.

If anybody is interested in growing their own plants let me know, I can give you some very good seeds. I just need to know what type you prefer as they use different types for, cigarettes, pipe, cigar, and snuff.

I prefer a 60/40 mix of cig to pipe mix. I roll the cigs with a tobacco leaf from the cigar strain and it is very aromatic and isn't harsh at all. Most people seem to like enjoy the aroma, even non smokers.

 

[trendsetter37]

Smoking manufactured cigs due cause cancer but it has nothing to do with the tobacco.

If anybody lives near an Indian reservation in the US, many are willing to sell their harvested and dried tobacco plants. The Syneca-Cayuga (SP?) tribe of Oklahoma is one.

If anybody is interested in growing their own plants let me know, I can give you some very good seeds. I just need to know what type you prefer as they use different types for, cigarettes, pipe, cigar, and snuff.

I prefer a 60/40 mix of cig to pipe mix. I roll the cigs with a tobacco leaf from the cigar strain and it is very aromatic and isn't harsh at all. Most people seem to like enjoy the aroma, even non smokers.

I may be interested in some seeds! Where do you source yours and are you located in the US (not a requirement i guess)

 

[Mr. Premise]

Speaking of growing tobacco, I am in the process of harvesting this year's crop. I am saving seeds from about 18 varieties. Growing tobacco is fairly easy, curing it properly is not. However, this year I grew a variety that is just now becoming available, called Silver River. It came originally in an envelope several years ago from a farmer in Ohio. I have heard that it is easy to cure and doesn't require much aging (most tobacco needs to be aged for a year at least, if you don't have a kiln-type curing chamber. Today I rolled up some Silver River that just dried a few days ago, and they are right, it tasted smooth with absolutely no aging. I'm sure aging will improve it but for beginners it's a good choice. Mild, with a hint of mint in the flavor. It seems to be from the Burley family but with none of the harshness of unaged (or aged, for that matter) Burley.