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JAMA. 1999;282:1416-1417.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

MMWR. 1999;48:796-799

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Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Bidis are small, brown, hand-rolled cigarettes primarily made in India and other southeast Asian countries¹ consisting of tobacco wrapped in a tendu or temburni leaf (Diospyros melanoxylon). In the United States, bidis are purchased for $1.50-$4.00 for one package of 20 and are available in different flavors (e.g., cherry, chocolate, and mango). Anecdotal reports indicate that bidi use was first observed during the mid-1990s and seems to be widespread among youth and racial/ethnic minority adolescents. This report summarizes preliminary data collected from a convenience sample of adolescents surveyed during March and early April 1999 in Massachusetts on the prevalence of bidi use among urban youth; these data indicate that of 642 youth surveyed, 40% had smoked bidis at least once during their lifetimes and 16% were current bidi smokers.

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