What are hemp cigarettes?
Hemp cigarettes are made from 100% pure CBD hemp.
CBD (cannabidiol) is one of more than 70 active compounds in the hemp plant and is generally considered well tolerated.
Hemp cigarettes are currently not legal in Germany.
You can buy them in Switzerland, however, where they caused quite a stir a few years ago.
There, hemp cigarettes are sold in multi-packs just like normal cigarettes.
They do not fall under the Swiss Narcotics Act because they have no intoxicating effect.
So do not confuse a hemp cigarette with a joint.
The THC content here is below 1%.
Hemp products of this type have been legal in Switzerland since 2016.
What are cigarettes without nicotine?
You mainly find cigarettes without nicotine in the form of herbal cigarettes.
Herbal cigarettes are 100% nicotine-free and made from dried smokeable herbs with different profiles.
They can contain botanicals such as damiana, mint, chamomile, rose petals, or raspberry.
Herbal cigarettes can fit into a tobacco-free switch while keeping the familiar ritual.
Real Leaf herbal cigarettes are cigarettes without nicotine and are also completely free from tar and additives.
They contain no nicotine and are not addictive.
If you gradually swap your normal cigarette for herbal cigarettes, you can move away from nicotine without immediately giving up the act of smoking itself.
Do you want to move away from smoking?
Then read our tips.
Hemp cigarettes: pros and cons
Like cigarettes without nicotine, hemp cigarettes with CBD are not addictive in the nicotine sense.
However, you should always keep in mind that smoking of any kind releases substances that enter the lungs.
The big advantage of hemp cigarettes is that they smell and taste like a joint, but do not get you high.
If young people use hemp cigarettes as an entry product, however, that advantage can quickly turn into a disadvantage.
The press spokesman for the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health told Aerztezeitung in an interview that it could not be ruled out that new users might feel a slight intoxicating effect despite the very low THC content.
A habituation effect could therefore not be ruled out.
Another disadvantage is the price.
In Switzerland, hemp cigarettes cost almost twice as much as conventional cigarettes, around 18 euros per pack.
Cigarettes without nicotine: pros and cons
Unlike hemp cigarettes, herbal cigarettes contain 0% THC.
They are completely free from additives and are neither intoxicating nor addictive.
The big advantage of herbal cigarettes without nicotine is that they can be used as part of a tobacco-free switch.
Meet the emotional pull of the smoking ritual with herbal cigarettes instead of nicotine-containing versions.
Herbal cigarettes are available both pre-rolled and loose.
Browse the Real Leaf shop for the different options and try which herbal tobacco suits you best.
Types of hemp cigarettes and cigarettes without nicotine
There is currently only one brand producing hemp pre-roll cigarettes.
It is “Hafen” from eastern Switzerland.
The pack contains 20 cigarettes with a total of around 12 g of natural CBD hemp.
The hemp used is grown in Switzerland, and the papers are also made from recycled paper from the region.
There are several suppliers of cigarettes without nicotine.
When it comes to herbal cigarettes, two brands in particular stand out.
Real Leaf herbal cigarettes
Real Leaf herbal cigarettes are 100% natural and nicotine-free.
You can find them in many different flavors, which is especially nice if you like trying new things.
Real Leaf uses unbleached and unrefined organic papers.
Nirdosh herbal cigarettes
Herbal cigarettes from the Nirdosh brand are also well known.
Because Nirdosh wants to avoid paper entirely, the herbs are wrapped in a tendu leaf instead.
Tendu leaves are very similar to eucalyptus.
Are hemp cigarettes legal in Germany?
No, hemp cigarettes are not legal in Germany.
At the moment, you can buy them only in Switzerland and, since 2019, also in Luxembourg.
In Germany, the cannabis plant is still fully prohibited in this context.
Lawmakers justify this with the fact that from the outside it is not possible to tell whether a hemp plant has a high THC level or not.
If you still want to test a hemp cigarette, you can do so in Switzerland.
However, you may not import them into Germany or bring them across the border.
Are herbal cigarettes legal in Germany?
Yes, herbal cigarettes are completely legal in Germany.
Because they are cigarettes without nicotine and have nothing to do with a joint, you can buy them freely in stores or online.
Herbal cigarettes are a tobacco-free ritual product for adults who want to move away from nicotine-containing tobacco.
You can either roll cigarettes without nicotine yourself or buy them pre-made.
That makes them a straightforward option.
Conclusion
When it comes to hemp cigarettes vs. cigarettes without nicotine, the differences are clear.
First of all, the two types of tobacco substitute are not really comparable.
They differ significantly in both taste and content.
Both products are natural and avoid nicotine-containing tobacco products.
However, hemp cigarettes are not legal in Germany, so they are harder to obtain.
If you are looking for a tobacco substitute, cigarettes without nicotine are the more practical option in Germany, such as herbal cigarettes from Real Leaf.
