INDIAN CIGARETTES PACKED WITH TAR, NICOTINE BANNED

Springfield - Thin, marijuana look-alike cigarettes will be illegal to
sell to
anyone regardless of age under a law signed Friday by Gov. George Ryan.

The cigarettes imported from India are called bidis, which come in a
variety of candy flavors, already are illegal to sell in the city of
Chicago, and Evanston recently passed an ordinance banning them as
well. Bidis, pronounced "beedies," already were regulated like regular
cigarettes, but critics charged they were marketed to teenagers and
easily accessible.

The cigarettes come in packs of 20 and 25 and cost upward of $4. They
consist of rolled tobacco wrapped in a tendu Indian leaf secured by a
thin string and include flavors such as cherry, chocolate, mango and
mint. They are packed with three times the amount of nicotine and five
times the tar of normal American cigarettes.

The proposal to outlaw bidis was sponsored by state Rep. Harry
Osterman, a Chicago Democrat, and state Sen. Kathleen Parker, a
Northbrook Republican.

The statewide prohibition on bidis goes into effect Jan. 1.