Why ban loose tobacco and rolling papers?
A measure of social justice and public health
While Belgium is multiplying measures to reduce tobacco consumption, one debate often remains underestimated: the discriminatory impact of loose tobacco and rolling papers, as well as the difficulties they pose in controlling consumption. These products, cheaper and easily accessible, largely contribute to keeping the most vulnerable populations in a spiral of addiction. As such, their ban could be not only consistent but also necessary.
A product that has become the tobacco "of the poor"
Rolling tobacco has been the cheapest alternative on the market for years. Where a pack of manufactured cigarettes is expensive due to the constant increase in excise duties, loose tobacco remains proportionally much more economical. Consequence: it is mainly low-income populations who turn to it.
This situation creates a structural inequality:
- the wealthiest smokers find it easier to reduce or stop their consumption,
- while the more modest remain exposed to a cheaper, more accessible and equally harmful product.
Banning loose tobacco would therefore be a measure to reduce inequalities, preventing the most fragile from being trapped in a "discount" tobacco market.
Impossible control of the quantity actually consumed
One of the major problems with rolling tobacco is the variability of the dose. Each rolled cigarette can contain:
- more tobacco,
- less tobacco,
- be more packed,
- burn longer…
Result: consumers never know exactly how much tobacco they are actually consuming. Studies also show that roll-your-own tobacco smokers often inhale more deeply and smoke their cigarettes to the end, increasing their exposure to toxic substances.
Conversely, a pack of manufactured cigarettes allows for more precise tracking: 20 cigarettes = 20 identifiable units.
This impossibility of quantifying consumption makes:
- medical monitoring more difficult,
- the threshold of dependence less clear,
- gradual withdrawal more complicated,
- public health assessments riskier.
Banning loose tobacco and rolling papers would therefore be a way to clarify and regulate consumption for everyone.
A question of health equity
Smoking prevention largely relies on measures of visibility, price, regulation and access. But if we allow a cheaper alternative to remain, this policy loses effectiveness.
By allowing some consumers to buy tobacco at a lower price, we create:
- unequal exposure to risk,
- an addiction that affects precarious households more,
- an economic barrier to quitting tobacco (because roll-your-own tobacco is used to "hold on" with little money).
Eliminating the sale of loose tobacco and rolling papers would realign risks and behaviors, so that health policies truly benefit all categories of the population — including those most often forgotten.
Consistency with the objectives of a tobacco-free generation
Belgium aims for a tobacco-free generation by 2040. But this objective cannot be achieved if a form of tobacco particularly attractive to young adults and low-income households remains on the market. Roll-your-own tobacco:
- costs less,
- offers a "artisanal" or "less industrial" image,
- seems more controllable when it is often more harmful than manufactured cigarettes in terms of actual exposure.
Banning these products would be a structural measure, preventing new consumers from rushing into a cheap entry point for tobacco.
Conclusion: a ban to reduce addiction, inequalities and invisible risks
Banning the sale of loose tobacco and rolling papers would not be a punitive measure, but a policy consistent with a public health objective based on equity. These products maintain a double illusion: that of cheaper tobacco therefore "less serious", and that of controlled consumption when it is actually more difficult to measure.
By removing them from the market, Belgium could:
- reduce lasting health discrimination,
- better control consumption behaviors,
- align its policy with the protection of the most vulnerable,
- and take a decisive step towards a tobacco-free future.