Roll-Your-Own Tobacco
On this page:
- What Is Roll-Your-Own Tobacco?
- Are You Looking for General Health and Safety Information Related to Roll-Your-Own Tobacco?
- Are You a Manufacturer of Roll-Your-Own Tobacco?
- Are You a Retailer of Roll-Your-Own Tobacco?
What Is Roll-Your-Own Tobacco?
Roll-your-own tobacco is loose tobacco that a person places inside rolling paper and burns. It is a combustible tobacco product.
Roll-your-own tobacco products are not safer than other types of cigarettes. Just like with other types of cigarettes, a person burns the tobacco and inhales harmful chemicals.
Are You Looking for General Health and Safety Information Related to Roll-Your-Own Tobacco?
To protect the public health of the U.S. population from tobacco-related death and disease, FDA provides information about tobacco products, including roll-your-own tobacco, and the dangers they pose to the public.
Tobacco and tobacco smoke contain thousands of chemicals. This mix of chemicals—not nicotine—is what causes serious disease and death in tobacco users.
Health Effects of Tobacco Use
No tobacco product is safe. However, the health risks for different tobacco products exist on a spectrum, which is sometimes referred to as a “continuum of risk.” Combusted, or smoked, tobacco products - such as roll-your-own tobacco - are the most harmful type of tobacco product.
Quitting Smoking
Quitting smoking is often difficult, and may take multiple attempts, but the longer a person is able to stay quit, the more the body gets to heal from the damage done by smoking.
Nearly 3 out of 4 adults who smoke say they would like to quit. Find resources to help you quit.
Resources in the FDA Tobacco Education Resource Library
Learn more about print materials, web content, and social media posts available for free that help keep communities informed about tobacco-related issues.
See Tobacco and Smoking Resources
Report a Tobacco Product Problem or Violation
If you have experienced undesired health or quality problems with any tobacco product, including roll-your-own tobacco, you can report it to FDA. Knowing more about adverse experiences can help FDA identify concerning trends and causes or contributors for particular incidents or health or quality problems beyond those normally associated with tobacco product use. You can read some tobacco-related adverse experience reports on the Tobacco Product Problem Reports page.
If you believe these products are being sold to minors, or you see another potential violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) or FDA’s tobacco regulations, report the potential violation.
Are You a Manufacturer of Pipe Tobacco?
FDA regulates the manufacture, import, packaging, labeling, advertising, promotion, sale, and distribution of roll-your-own tobacco and cigarette tobacco under the FD&C Act and its implementing regulations. FDA also regulates the tobacco rolling paper.
If you make, modify, mix, manufacture, fabricate, assemble, process, label, repack, relabel, or import roll-your-own tobacco, you must comply with the requirements for manufacturers.
CTP’s Office of Small Business Assistance can answer specific questions about requirements of small businesses and how to comply with the law. This office also provides online educational resources to help regulated industry understand FDA regulations and policies.
Are You a Retailer of Roll-Your-Own Tobacco?
Tools for Retailers
“This is Our Watch” is an education program with resources to help tobacco retailers better understand and comply with FDA tobacco regulations. Tobacco retailers play a direct role in protecting kids from nicotine addiction and the deadly effects of tobacco use.
Learn what tobacco retailers need to do to comply with the rules designed to prevent our nation's youth from becoming the next generation of Americans to die prematurely from tobacco-related disease.
Retail Sales of Tobacco Products offers more information about federal rules that retailers must follow as well as information on regulations, guidance, and tools to help retailers comply.
Did You Know?
It is illegal for a retailer to sell any tobacco product – including cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes – to anyone under 21.