Many people are surprised to learn that most rolling papers aren’t vegan. The problem comes from animal products being used in the glue or the dye that makes the papers white.
Those who use cigarette papers to smoke tobacco should be aware that tobacco isn’t vegan either. However, vegan rolling papers do exist and vegans can use them to smoke herbs without tobacco.
Are rolling papers vegan?
Most cigarette rolling papers are not vegan because they use glue which may be made from animal products like casein (milk), albumen (egg white) or boiled animal bones. Luckily, vegan rolling papers are available to buy.
The problem with rolling papers for vegans is that it can be very difficult to know which brands are suitable for vegans and which aren’t. Most brands of rolling papers have no information on the packaging, although some do have the V symbol.
Which rolling papers are vegan?
Vegan rolling paper brands include:
- RAW Unrefined Organic rolling papers
- Zig-Zag Organic Hemp rolling papers
- Empire Rolling $100 Bill rolling papers
- OCB Bamboo rolling papers
RAW vegan rolling papers
The world’s first vegan rolling papers were created in 2005 by the RAW brand. Since then, more brands have begun to make vegan-friendly rolling papers in various shapes and sizes. Most of these are organic and unbleached.
Is tobacco vegan?
Some brands of tobacco contain castoreum, which is the chemical that beavers use to mark their territory. This is used to give the tobacco a smoky flavour. Harvesting castoreum commonly involves killing beavers and milking their anal glands. Nice!
Even if the tobacco that you choose doesn’t contain any animal ingredients, smoking tobacco isn’t vegan because tobacco is widely tested on animals. Tobacco production is also very harmful to the environment, which goes against the vegan philosophy.
So, even if you buy vegan rolling papers, if you’re serious about veganism then you probably shouldn’t be smoking tobacco anyway.
Suggested read: Is Beer Vegan?
Are blunts vegan?
Blunt wraps and cigar wrappers are made of tobacco. As tobacco is not vegan, this means that blunts are not vegan. However, you can buy vegan blunt wraps that are made from hemp leaves rather than tobacco leaves
Conclusion
If you want to avoid animal products and take a stand against animal testing, then you should look out for vegan rolling papers and avoid smoking tobacco.