A Dutch-style cigarillo is a small, inexpensive, machine-made tobacco product, often associated with brands like Dutch Masters in the United States. These products are sold in a wide variety of flavors, which contributes to their appeal among younger users. The tobacco roll is typically enclosed in a wrapper made of actual tobacco leaf or homogenized tobacco leaf (HTL). While frequently smoked alone, it is also commonly hollowed out and refilled with cannabis, a practice known as rolling a “blunt.”
Understanding Dutch Cigar Composition
A Dutch cigarillo is structurally different from a cigarette, featuring a core of short filler tobacco wrapped in tobacco material rather than paper. This core filler is often Caribbean Basin Cuban Seed tobacco, which undergoes fermentation that generates high concentrations of cancer-causing nitrosamines. The wrapper itself is a significant source of nicotine, containing between 1.2 and 6.0 milligrams of the substance before the product is lit.
The manufacturing process incorporates a range of additives intended to enhance flavor and maintain moisture. Flavorings like berry, wine, or honey are added to mask the harshness of the tobacco, making the smoke easier to tolerate. Humectants, such as propylene glycol and glycerol, are also included to keep the tobacco pliable and prevent it from drying out quickly.
While these additives improve the product’s palatability, they introduce additional hazards upon combustion. When the cigarillo is burned, the sugars and humectants break down into toxic compounds, including higher emissions of aldehydes. This chemical reaction adds to the overall toxic load delivered to the user. The resulting smoke contains higher levels of certain toxins, including tar and ammonia, compared to traditional cigarette smoke.
Immediate Health Effects of Nicotine and Tobacco
Smoking a cigarillo delivers a rapid and substantial dose of nicotine, which is the primary addictive agent in tobacco. Even if the smoke is not fully inhaled into the lungs, significant amounts of nicotine are absorbed directly through the highly permeable lining of the mouth. This buccal absorption is efficient because the cigar smoke is more alkaline than cigarette smoke, allowing nicotine to be absorbed quickly across the oral mucosa.
The immediate physiological response to this nicotine exposure includes a strain on the cardiovascular system. Within minutes of starting a cigarillo, the user’s heart rate increases, and blood pressure rises. Cigar smoking has been shown to acutely increase the stiffness of large arteries, a change that can persist for up to two hours after consumption.
The combustion process also generates carbon monoxide (CO), a colorless, odorless gas that binds to hemoglobin in the blood, displacing oxygen. Cigarillo use significantly increases expired-air CO levels, immediately reducing the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity. The smoke is a direct irritant to the respiratory system. Exposure compromises the mucosal barrier in the airways and increases cellular toxicity at levels comparable to cigarette smoke.
Unique Risks When Used as a Cannabis Wrapper
Hollowing out a cigarillo to create a “blunt” introduces heightened health risks due to the co-consumption of tobacco and cannabis. This method subjects the user to a simultaneous dose of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and nicotine from the remaining tobacco wrapper. The co-use of these substances is associated with an increased likelihood of developing a cannabis use disorder and poorer outcomes when attempting to quit either substance.
The addictive potential is heightened because nicotine can enhance the psychoactive effects of cannabis, leading to greater consumption of both. Since the nicotine in the wrapper is not fully removed when the tobacco filler is taken out, the user is still exposed to a substantial, addictive dose. This combination creates a cycle of dependence on two separate drugs.
Blunt smoking also carries a higher burden of combustion byproducts due to the way the product is consumed. Users typically take a larger puff volume, inhale the smoke more deeply, and hold the smoke in their lungs for a longer duration compared to smoking a traditional cigarette. This altered inhalation pattern dramatically increases the deposition of toxins in the lungs.
The burning of both the tobacco wrapper and the cannabis material results in a much greater exposure to harmful substances like tar and carbon monoxide. Smoking a cannabis product can lead to a nearly fivefold greater increment in blood carbon monoxide levels compared to tobacco smoking. The deeper inhalation and longer breath-holding time associated with blunts result in three to four times more tar being deposited in the lungs. Users who co-consume tobacco and cannabis also exhibit significantly higher concentrations of biomarkers for combustion byproducts.
Long-Term Respiratory and Oral Health Consequences
Prolonged use of cigarillos leads to severe, chronic damage to the respiratory and upper digestive tracts. Regular cigar smoking significantly increases the risk of developing several cancers, including those of the mouth, tongue, larynx, and esophagus. Even users who do not intentionally inhale the smoke are still at similar risk levels for oral and esophageal cancers as cigarette smokers.
This risk is due to the direct, prolonged contact of the alkaline smoke with the cells of the mouth and throat. Holding the cigarillo in the mouth allows cancer-causing agents to be absorbed through the oral tissues. Smoking just one or two cigars a day can double the risk of oral and esophageal cancers compared to a nonsmoker.
Beyond cancer, regular cigarillo use is a risk factor for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which includes conditions like chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The chronic irritation and cellular damage from the smoke lead to decreased lung function and airflow obstruction over time. Heavy cigar smoking, especially when combined with inhalation, increases the risk for lung cancer and heart disease.