I don't really smoke unless its a social event and I'm surrounded by it. I *may* smoke 1-3 a weekend. So, my question is, I know that there are any number of gross things in cigarettes, including dead bugs. Dead bugs = not vegan. But what else is there and how does everyone feel about smoking cigarettes?
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I think there are a surprising number of vegans who smoke, but I'm not one of them. I don't know about cigarettes being vegan, but from what I've heard, it's a lot harder to quit smoking than it is to give up animal products.
I don't smoke, but I don't really see the point in not smoking simply because of dead bugs. Bugs infest plenty of other products too. It's gross to think about, but it's just a fact of life unfortunately.
You're right, I should have looked before posting another thread...I always forget that. :/
Any reason to avoid the cancer sticks is a good reason for me. Especially if it is an animal welfare reason (said animal probably being me! Lol)
consider yourself lucky that that's all you're currently smoking and quit altogether. why are you smoking at all? i smoked for a long time and it's just stupid to smoke
OK, well, that's enough for me. I almost always regret it anyway, so why do it anymore? I won't.
But I think my original question was, is it vegan to smoke in general? Whether your primary reason for veganism is for the environment (air pollution), human health (creating second hand smoke for other people to unintentionally inhale), or animal rights/welfare (animal testing), you're met on all sides by factors that make it not vegan. I guess I've answered my own question, and I think its a worthy discussion.
I hope I'm not offending any smokers on VB. I know it can be difficult to quit.
Tobacco is not reliably vegan.
Obviously the starting material is and nearly all of the additives are either plant derived or synthetic plant chemicals, but also allowed are things like butter, chemically modified butter fractions, chemically modified milk byproducts, honey, and one can only guess whats allowed to be put in in second and third world countries (I would expect small amounts of fish byproducts since I remember the flavor profile of chinese tobacco quite well).
It does contain some products originally derived from animals but produced synthetically for use in tobacco, sort of imitation animal bits like those imitation meat patties. Such things include skatole, originally found in feces but now made from oil, to give tobacco that nice aromatic faint fecal smell. Another is the drug adjuvant urea, originally derived from human urine it is industrially produced from oil byproducts and serves to produce a more abrupt and short lived buzz from the nicotine (as well as being a major carbon monoxide source).
Clearly growing your own and choosing your own flavorings to add during and after the flavor curing phase could provide pure vegan tobacco but in my experience, with a yield of 'only' one carton of cigarettes per plant, people generally just arent willing to bother.
That's what I used to smoke and that used to made me feel better about smoking a more "animal-friendly" cigarette, HOWEVER American Spirit is a subsidiary of Reynolds American, holders of of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco (Camels, Kools, Misty, etc.), who test their smokes on animals.
I'm trying to quit tobacco products, but also trying to stick to e-cigs if anything, because they're supposedly far less bad for you. And less gross. I dipped for a year then have smoked for another year or two on and off.
I weaned myself off butts gradually then quit cold tofurkey after smoking for six years.
I smoke hookah at parties once in a great while, but that's about it.
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