# How common is smoking tobacco in India **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 21, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854 "2007-01-21T17:46:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/1 "2007-01-21T17:46:26Z")
We were discussing smoking the other day and someone mentioned that they had never met an Indian who smoked. I thought about it and agree that I have never met one who smoked either. At least not that I knew. Is it uncommon in India? ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/2 "2007-01-21T17:54:57Z")
Odd - I worked for an Indian firm & it was like working in an ash tray. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/3 "2007-01-21T18:13:44Z")
> [@](#): > > Almost 182 million people in India smoke-representing 17 percent of all consumers worldwide [Tobacco consumption in India](http://www.jphp.umb.edu/documents/DerekYachComment.pdf). PDF file. ---
**Author:** ![Barrington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Barrington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrington)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/4 "2007-01-21T18:26:37Z")
I’ve spent time in India, about 15 years ago, and smoking was extremely common there, in all levels of caste, and particularly among males. The poorer people tend to smoke [bidies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidi), which are actually quite a decent smoke, and are _extremely_ cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/5 "2007-01-21T19:20:54Z")
Interesting. Thanks guys. I’ll pass that on next time I see everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/6 "2007-01-21T20:28:04Z")
Pretty common, yeah. So is chewing tobacco, which unfortunately leads to unsightly red stains in railway stations and other public places. It’s mostly the men who smoke, though - you very rarely see women smoking outside the affluent urban elite, at least in my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/7 "2007-01-21T22:45:09Z")
[QUOTE=Dervorin] Pretty common, yeah. So is chewing tobacco, which unfortunately leads to unsightly red stains in railway stations and other public places. It’s mostly the men who smoke, though - you very rarely see women smoking outside the affluent urban elite, at least in my experience. [/QUOTE] Those red stains might be from Betel Nut. I lived in Taiwan for several years and the red stains (and red teeth) were everywhere. From wiki: "In India (the largest consumer of betel nut), the betel nut is cut into small pieces using a special instrument called sarota, and the husk is wrapped in a betel leaf along with lime and may include clove, cardamom, catechu (kattha), etc. for extra flavouring. Seasoned chewers might mix the betel nut with tobacco. Betel nut is also available in ready-to-eat pouches called Pan Masala. It is a mixture of many spices whose primary base is betel nut crushed into very small pieces. Sometimes Pan Masala also includes a small quantity of tobacco, in this case, the product is called gutka." ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/8 "2007-01-21T22:56:07Z")
[QUOTE=Barrington] I’ve spent time in India, about 15 years ago, and smoking was extremely common there, in all levels of caste, and particularly among males. The poorer people tend to smoke [bidies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bidi), which are actually quite a decent smoke, and are _extremely_ cheap. [/QUOTE] Not to be disrespectful, but it’s hardly a decent smoke. From your link (bolding mine): **One beedi produces three times more carbon monoxide and nicotine, and five times more tar than a regular cigarette.** Bidies seem like the perfect gift for that smoker you loathe ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/9 "2007-01-22T02:29:10Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] Not to be disrespectful, but it’s hardly a decent smoke. From your link (bolding mine): **One beedi produces three times more carbon monoxide and nicotine, and five times more tar than a regular cigarette.** Bidies seem like the perfect gift for that smoker you loathe [/QUOTE] Beedis are preferred by the poorer folk mostly for economical reasons. A 20 pack of Marlboro Reds costs about US$1.50, but a 20 pack of Beedis costs about US$0.03 ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/10 "2007-01-22T02:36:06Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] Not to be disrespectful, but it’s hardly a decent smoke. [/QUOTE] You missed the point. By “decent” they didn’t mean “good for you”. Though I’m no longer a smoker I’ve tried Beedis in the past. Strong little buggers. And the flavorings are _ **decent** _ tasting. I was in India in March & April of 2005. While I noticed a lot of men smoking I didn’t really see many smoking Beedis. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/11 "2007-01-22T02:41:36Z")
[QUOTE=pkbites] You missed the point. By “decent” they didn’t mean “good for you”. Though I’m no longer a smoker I’ve tried Beedis in the past. Strong little buggers. And the flavorings are _ **decent** _ tasting. I was in India in March & April of 2005. While I noticed a lot of men smoking I didn’t really see many smoking Beedis. [/QUOTE] No, I didn’t miss the point by “decent.” It’s not a decent smoke. Too friggin’ strong. Yes, the poor people will opt for it, but it will be very bad for their health. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/12 "2007-01-22T03:06:00Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] No, I didn’t miss the point by “decent.” It’s not a decent smoke. Too friggin’ strong. Yes, the poor people will opt for it, but it will be very bad for their health. [/QUOTE] It would be nice if **Barrington** came back here and confirmed this, but I do think you missed the point of the use of the word “decent”. ---
**Author:** ![qubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f07891/32.png) [@qubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qubed)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/13 "2007-01-22T03:15:00Z")
[QUOTE=xash] Beedis are preferred by the poorer folk mostly for economical reasons. A 20 pack of Marlboro Reds costs about US$1.50, but a 20 pack of Beedis costs about US$0.03 [/QUOTE] Yeah, but Marlboros are expensive cigarettes in India. You can definitely get much cheaper local brands of cigarettes. The brand of choice in Hyderabad seemed to be Charminar from what I remember. But yeah, chewing tobacco is also very common too, and hasn’t been too kind on my family. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/14 "2007-01-22T03:22:52Z")
[QUOTE=BarnOwl] Not to be disrespectful, but it’s hardly a decent smoke. From your link (bolding mine): **One beedi produces three times more carbon monoxide and nicotine, and five times more tar than a regular cigarette.** Bidies seem like the perfect gift for that smoker you loathe [/QUOTE] You want a smoke that’s really bad for you? In Indonesia I saw these guys with pairs of extra long tweezers. They would look on the streets for discarded cigarette butts and pick them up. Then these guys would bring the butts home, unwrap them and put the tobacco in a pile. They would then roll this tobacco into new cigarettes and sell them on the street. These smokes had to have the highest rate of nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, etc. imaginable. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/15 "2007-01-22T04:29:31Z")
[QUOTE=Mangosteen] You want a smoke that’s really bad for you? In Indonesia I saw these guys with pairs of extra long tweezers. They would look on the streets for discarded cigarette butts and pick them up. Then these guys would bring the butts home, unwrap them and put the tobacco in a pile. They would then roll this tobacco into new cigarettes and sell them on the street. These smokes had to have the highest rate of nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, etc. imaginable. [/QUOTE] Heh. When we were volunteers in Croatia (Western Slavonia) after the war, when we ran out of smokes at inopportune times (late at night when none were available for purchase), we’d sift through the ashtray, collect the tobacco, roll it in beer bottle labels and smoke that. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/16 "2007-01-22T04:35:41Z")
[QUOTE=Mangosteen] You want a smoke that’s really bad for you? In Indonesia I saw these guys with pairs of extra long tweezers. They would look on the streets for discarded cigarette butts and pick them up. Then these guys would bring the butts home, unwrap them and put the tobacco in a pile. They would then roll this tobacco into new cigarettes and sell them on the street. These smokes had to have the highest rate of nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, etc. imaginable. [/QUOTE] Yep. All that tobacco has been used as a filter for the smoke that passed through it from the cherry to the filter while the first smoker was using it. It’s been marinated in smoke. Yummy! Just like guys in prison who save the snipes from their handrolls. Re: Bidis or Beedees, I’ve seen both spellings, and smoked them, they’re strong and aromatic, you can find them in flavors like strawberry and licorice. You’d tend to smoke them more like a cigar, not a ‘get it down to bottom of the lungs’ drag like a Marlboro Light 100. SLK, Slave to nicotine. ---
**Author:** ![Khampelf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Khampelf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khampelf)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/17 "2007-01-22T04:37:55Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] roll it in beer bottle labels . [/QUOTE] I’ve used Christmas wrapping paper. ---
**Author:** ![Dervorin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Dervorin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dervorin)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/18 "2007-01-22T14:40:57Z")
[QUOTE=Mangosteen] Those red stains might be from Betel Nut. I lived in Taiwan for several years and the red stains (and red teeth) were everywhere. [/QUOTE] Ye gods. I just had a brain-fart of epic proportions. You’re right, of course - the red stains are from betel nuts. I have no idea why I linked it to tobacco. :smack: Whoohoo! My first edit! i -\> I. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/19 "2007-01-22T15:04:46Z")
[QUOTE=Dervorin] Pretty common, yeah. So is chewing tobacco, which unfortunately leads to unsightly red stains in railway stations and other public places. It’s mostly the men who smoke, though - you very rarely see women smoking outside the affluent urban elite, at least in my experience. [/QUOTE] As **Mangosteen** said, it’s _paan_ (betel leaf), not chewing tobacco. Even old ladies chew betel leaves. The leaf can be packed with a variety of flavorings (such as pan masala), and sometimes, even, a tiny bit of tobacco. The “sweet” version (which can be eaten, as opposed to spat) is often offered at the end of a large meal. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854/20 "2007-01-22T15:07:27Z")
[QUOTE=The Sonoran Lizard King] Re: Bidis or Beedees, I’ve seen both spellings [/QUOTE] Yeah, transliteration is a tricky thing. The “d” is actually a flap (such as in the plummy English “very”), so I prefer to spell it “biris.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-smoking-tobacco-in-india/388854.md?page=2)