Almost all tobacco consumed in Australia is in the form of factory made cigarettes. Males are more frequent users of pipes, cigars and loose tobacco (used in roll-your-own (RYO) cigarettes) than females. Pipe and cigar smoking in particular tends to be concentrated in older male age groups.(25)
The apparent increased popularity of RYO cigarettes observed in recent years may reflect an economical choice being made by smokers. Although loose tobacco is taxed at the same level as manufactured cigarettes (see also Chapter 7), the RYO smoker is able to make smaller cigarettes, thereby making a package of tobacco last longer.