Cigarettes: From Discovery by Americans to Social Consequences in Iran / A Look at the History and Challenges of Tobacco Consumption

The Greeks Introduced Cigarettes to Iran If we look at the history of cigarettes, it was first discovered by the Americans, then introduced to Europe, and later brought to Iran by the Greeks during the Safavid period. Although tobacco cultivation in Iran dates back further, it wasn't in the modern form we know today. It was primarily produced for use in the chibouk (pipe). Modern cigarettes arrived in Iran in 1933, and the main headquarters of Iranian tobacco is still located in Tehran's Qazvin Square.

60 Billion Cigarettes According to the latest statistics, there are approximately 12 million smokers in Iran. In 2017, they consumed 62 billion cigarettes. Of this, 25 billion were locally produced, with 60% of the production occurring in Gilan Province, and the rest in Tehran and Urmia. Around 12 billion cigarettes were imported, and 7 billion were produced through joint ventures where large international tobacco companies set up production in Iran.

Close Call with a Crisis! When warning labels about the risk of death were printed on cigarette and tobacco packs, the Tobacco Company faced severe challenges and even came close to bankruptcy. Before these labels were printed, there was supposed to be proper public information. However, due to the many restrictions in advertising and information dissemination, smugglers exploited this situation, spreading rumors that cigarettes without warning labels were genuine, while those with images were fake and cancerous. The Tobacco Company's policy, however, was to highlight quality control and to inform the public about the carcinogenic nature of counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes. Fortunately, with the arrival of new management at the Tobacco Company this year, the situation improved, and according to the latest statistics, smuggling rates decreased to 20% by June.

Cigarettes Are Harmful, But What Can Be Done? While all types of cigarettes are harmful, they are still consumed. The least we can do as a regulatory body is to produce less harmful products. In fact, we should provide consumers with products that meet internationally recognized standards and have fewer adverse effects compared to smuggled cigarettes. Iran is located in a region surrounded by many fake and smuggled goods. With 8,500 kilometers of land and sea borders, even if we place guards every 100 meters, there is still a significant risk of tobacco smuggling!

The High Customs Duty on Cigarettes Cigarettes are subject to high customs duties, with the price difference between legal imported cigarettes and smuggled ones sometimes reaching up to 300,000 Tomans per carton. With such high profits, smugglers are willing to take all the risks. Interestingly, smugglers have been caught hiding 35 cartons of cigarettes in a Peugeot 405!

Smugglers Keep a Step Ahead of the Market! Smugglers are closely monitoring Iran's cigarette market, analyzing which brands sell the most. They print fake labels and attach them to counterfeit cigarette packs to import them into Iran. The quality of all parts of smuggled cigarettes—tobacco, filters, essence, and paper—is very poor, and besides causing harm to public health, it disrupts the market and harms the tobacco industry.

Don’t Fool Yourself A recent trend in our country is the shift of many people, especially women, toward "light" or thin cigarettes, based on the false belief that these are less harmful. Since these cigarettes contain less tobacco, smokers must consume more to get the same amount of nicotine, for example, if a person used to smoke one regular cigarette a day, they now need to smoke three "light" ones, with some even smoking 40 cigarettes daily! This actually results in greater harm than regular cigarettes.

Try Nano-Filter Cigarettes Most people think cigarette tobacco is a simple substance harvested from a plant, but it is actually made from a blend of up to 12 different types of tobacco. Some of this tobacco is grown in Iran, while others are imported from countries such as Zimbabwe, India, Brazil, and Argentina. Based on a specific formula for each brand, the tobaccos are blended, and a flavoring essence is added to avoid irritating the smoker's throat. Cigarette production mechanisms have not changed much, except for an increase in production speed. Recently, major cigarette manufacturers have started using nano-filters to capture more nicotine and reduce harmful effects.

Cigarettes Are Like Iranian Cheques To determine whether the cigarettes you're buying are genuine or fake, you should look for certain details, such as the health warning label and the Iranian hologram on the cigarette pack. Interestingly, the security options on these holograms are just as sophisticated as those on Iranian cheques, with 16 security features that are easy to verify, such as the image of Milad Tower on the side of the box, which changes color when touched, just like Iran-cheques do. Imported cigarettes also have technical details like nicotine and tar levels, and the phrase "For sale in the Islamic Republic of Iran" on the pack. By paying attention to these features, you can significantly reduce the chances of buying counterfeit cigarettes that harm your health.

Iranians Are Healthier Currently, the best Iranian-made cigarette, according to statistics, is Bahman. While taste preferences vary, it's safe to say that Iranian cigarettes have a quality comparable to or even better than some foreign brands. Interestingly, some Iranian-made cigarettes are even smuggled abroad! It is highly recommended that consumers use only standard cigarettes in the country and trust that Iran's quality control laws are stricter than those of other countries. For instance, cigarettes with more than 9 milligrams of tar are not produced or imported into Iran, whereas in other countries, some brands contain up to 13-14 milligrams.