There are multiple reasons why consumers today are switching over to active carbon smoking filters for their rolled joints rather than using the conventional cardboard roaches. The definition of a filter is “a device that is used to remove something unwanted from a liquid or gas that passes through it.” A roach is hence not a filter to begin with as it is just rolled paper with no filtering mechanism. It is simply a holding tool for the joint or blunt that acts as a mouthpiece. Here are the top three reasons why you as an adult user should immediately switch over to carbon filters. And once you do, you will find the experience so much better that you will never go back to roaches.
1. Incorporating research in product development:
There is a great deal of research happening in multiple fields across medicine, transportation, food industry etc., including the smoking category. Corporations and government health departments are on a continuous quest to come up with innovations so that next generation smoking products are less harmful and that they can replace the current products in use. Whether it be nicotine gum, electronic cigarettes, or a heat-not-burn device like the IQOS by Phillip Morris that lets users’ intake the nicotine with just heated vapour rather than via combustion that causes the deadly tar. We should be able to use the scientific knowledge and latest research findings in our smoking filters as well.
2. Evolution of product categories:
If we look at things around us and compare them to 15 years ago, we can see evolution in almost everything. Nokia phones to smart phones, boxy Ambassador cars to modern and hybrid cars, bulky TVs and laptops have transformed into sleek ones, and yet if we look at cigarettes or rolled joints, it has not just remained the same for the past 15 years but for the past 50 years! Is it not time enough to see changes in this as well?! We are seeing a change (whether the Indian government and ITC like it or not) in cigarettes in the form of electronic cigarettes, and are also now seeing a change in a ‘joint with roach’ in the form of ‘joint with active carbon filter’. As one correctly says, change is the only constant.
3. Harm reduction concept:
The concept of harm reduction is simple. There are circumstances where you know doing something will or can harm you, but you still choose to do it, however you opt for a less harmful way to do that thing. Let us look at a few examples. You know driving your car is dangerous as there could be an accident which can possibly kill you. However, you still choose to drive, but wear a seat-belt while driving as it reduces the possibility of death in case of an accident. Here is another one relevant for city dwellers. If you live in a big city like Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, you are aware that the pollution levels are high (please recall Delhi winters after Diwali anyone?!) which can cause lung diseases as opposed to living in the forest or hills somewhere, however you still choose to stay in a polluted city but to reduce harm you install air purifiers in your homes and cars. The same concept can be applied in smoking rolled joints with the use of activated carbon filters over traditional roaches. These charcoal filters reduce tar and other harmful carcinogens, the use of ceramic filters balance the heat, and the joint drags are way smoother.