Few people know the real details about the differences between cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. Most are just bombarded by anti-smoking messages on a daily basis that lump ALL smoking into the same bucket. So allow me to provide you with a bit of information about those differences.

The premium tobacco that is grown for cigars and for pipes is generally alkaline based. Because of this you don’t inhale pipe smoke or cigar smoke. Cigarettes are from a varietal of tobacco plant that is more acidic based — thus you can inhale it into your lungs where you absorb 100x the amount of nicotine than if you had just from keeping it in your mouth. If just 10% of cigarette smokers switched from smoking cigarettes to smoking a pipe or cigar you would double the amount of pipe and cigar smokers out there. Pipe and Cigar smokers taste the tobacco, like you would wine or coffee. While many point to the surgeon generals report from 1964 about how bad cigarettes are (and I agree, cigarettes are pretty bad, mostly for the chemicals) — many fail to look at what it says about pipe smokers.

“According to the Committee, cigar smoke has 4 times as much benz(a)pyrene as cigarette smoke, and pipe smoke ten times as much as cigarette smoke (p. 58). Yet, the Committee found pipe and cigar smoke to be pretty much innocent of causing lung cancer, and even concluded that pipe smokers live longer than non-smokers.”

6. Because the amount of nicotine is so small for pipe smokers — you don’t see them (pipe smokers) becoming addicted to it or smoking a pipe. They smoke for the same reason someone may enjoy a glass of good wine.

7. But in talking about nicotine, lets discuss the benefits which again area always left out:

“Modern science tells us that nicotine is an alkaloid which produces certain physiological effects in humans and animals. Nicotine is found in tobacco plants, and to a lesser degree in tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes, and eggplant. The general effects of nicotine are biphasic: initially it is mentally invigorating, and then it leads to a relaxing effect. In small doses, nicotine increases alertness, concentration, and enhances mental performance. Today we know that nicotine protects against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and can help treat Tourette’s syndrome, ADHD, schizophrenia, epilepsy, and possibly rheumatoid arthritis and colorectal cancer. New discoveries are being made every year about the beneficial effects of nicotine, but these benefits are usually overshadowed in the public domain by Smokerism and anti-smoke hysteria. Fortunately, we know that “stress kills”, and the greatest benefit from luxury tobacco comes from its relaxing effects!”

8. e-Cigarettes and vapes is just another delivery method for large quantities of nicotine that keeps you more heavily addicted while it can help you quit cigarettes it does not stop the delivery of larger quantities of nicotine. Not only that, you’re vaping on chemicals (some may argue that its no worse than pipes or cigars). Premium tobacco is natural; or rather has less chemical additives than say cigarettes or e-Cigarettes. For more information refer to the premium tobacco process at tobacconist university.

9. Pipe smoking lends itself to slowing down one’s pace. Thus, if you’re a type-A personality that is one jelly dough-nut away from a heart-attack caused by stress, picking up a pipe might allow you to relax, slow down and reflect on what has you so wound up. In turn, helping you remove one of the main contributors to health problems — stress.

10. We live in an increasingly fast-paced society, so much so that we sometimes don’t stop and smell the flowers. There is ritual in pipe smoking that helps ground us, and slow us down to reflect on the day and the amount of change that has happened. Pipe smoking also helps us socialize with our friends and with strangers in ways that facebook and social media just can’t do.

Additional Reading: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/05/tobacco-cancer-treatment/ Tobacco being used in cancer treatment.

Heishman, S. J., Kleykamp, B. A., & Singleton, E. G. (2010). Meta- analysis of the acute effects of nicotine and smoking on human performance.

Psychopharmacology, July, pp. 453-469.

Jarvik, M. E. (1991). The beneficial effects of nicotine. British Journal of Addictions, 86, 571-575

http://psychservices.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/50/10/1346

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15610934

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200311/nicotine-drug-benefits-brain