Tobacco News and Interesting Information

Big or small? Does size really count? The concept of slim cigarettes is not new but for many years smokers have been used to larger-sized cigarettes.

Times columnist Sarah Kilkelly, a smoker for more than 10 years, said she had never seen slim cigarettes before.

People had been surprised to see them, Kilkelly said.

She said she was told by a retailer that part of the marketing was that slim cigarettes were for workers who had short work breaks.

Kilkelly and a friend smoked a slim and a regular cigarette and found the slimmer one still took the same amount of time to smoke.

Another person who had smoked for more than 30 years had also never seen a slim cigarette before.

British American Tobacco company spokeswoman Susan Jones said the Dunhills Essence slim cigarettes were launched in New Zealand last month.

The slim cigarettes were just another product the company offered, Ms Jones said.

She was not prepared to comment on whether part of the attraction or marketing was for smokers who had shorter work breaks.

Cancer Society tobacco control policy adviser Belinda Hughes said big or small cigarettes were still a health issue. "Slims in the 1970s were targeted at women," Ms Hughes said.

Regardless of how big or small a cigarette was it was still harmful, she said.