Nicotine-Free Cigarette Look-Alike?
October 8, 2015 6:31 AM   Subscribe

I recently quit smoking. Yay! For my Cruella De Vil costume for Halloween, I've already got a cigarette holder and I'd like something to put in it that, you know, looks like a cigarette. The thing here is that it absolutely, 100%, no wiggle-room cannot have any nicotine. What are my options here?

Is there something that looks like a cigarette but absolutely does NOT have nicotine? Like whatever they use as theater props, maybe? Priorities in order:

1) NO NICOTINE
2) Looks like a cigarette
3) I can buy it easily in DC or off the internet
4) It would be neat if I could smoke it just like a cigarette but this isn't crucial, it'd just be cool

Not to be a jerk but if your suggestion is "just skip it" then I've thought of that and I'll keep it as an option if I can't find anything so I'd prefer just things that answer my actual question. My question is not "How should I manage a Cruella De Vil costume?", my question is "What looks like a cigarette and maybe even acts like a cigarette but does not have any nicotine like a cigarette?". If you're not answering this question, please don't respond. Again, sorry to be a jerk but I am trying to be very specific and clear with my request.

Thank you!
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl to Grab Bag (17 answers total)
 
What about a candy cigarette?
posted by ukdanae at 6:35 AM on October 8, 2015 [6 favorites]


Herbal cigarettes do not have nicotine, but have a tendency to smell like weed, which may or may not work for you.

Candy cigarettes look enough like the real thing to pass muster at a glance, but don't smoke, obviously, so somewhat less good visually.

I think the cigarette holder might rule out an e-cigarette working the way you want, even if it looks mostly right. You can get nicotine-free versions of the "juice", though. May be worth looking in to.
posted by EvaDestruction at 6:37 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]


A solid-white stick of peppermint candy?
posted by easily confused at 6:39 AM on October 8, 2015


I have found small disposable e-cigarettes up here in Canada that were made to look like real cigarettes and light up the end. No nicotine. They were just slightly larger than regular cigarettes. I used them in a play, they worked pretty well.

Try checking around at various smoke shops and convenience stores, maybe you'll find them.
posted by lizbunny at 6:42 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]


Get a pack of rolling papers and fill it with some non-tobacco plant matter? (There are herbal smoking mixes designed for this)
posted by Gordafarin at 6:45 AM on October 8, 2015


A one-hitter looks more-or-less identical to a cigarette, although is somewhat heavier as it is made of metal. And you can't smoke it like a cigarette.

Congratulations on quitting!
posted by griphus at 6:54 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]


You're looking for an aluminum metal tobacco accessory, which could also be procured from your local head shop by asking for a "bat."
posted by divined by radio at 6:54 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]


You can find a bajillion types of prop/fake cigarettes on Amazon for around $5. Some just have red foil to look like embers at the end, some have a bit of powder inside so you can exhale and puff out a little smoke cloud. Any Halloween costume show or joke shop should carry something like this as well, if you have one nearby. Is Spencer gifts still a thing in malls? They would have had at least the cheapo version of this when I was a kid.
posted by Wretch729 at 6:56 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]


Party City has fake cigarettes for Halloween. There's one in Wheaton and another in Greenbelt among other close to DC locations.

(My name is Rob and I'm a nicotine addict. Congratulations on quitting. I quit and then relapsed.)
posted by Rob Rockets at 6:57 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]


Prop cigarettes are definitely a thing! You can also take a real cigarette (or rolled up white paper) and stick some red mylar in the end to look like a flame.
posted by Metroid Baby at 6:59 AM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]


White Cloud Fling disposable e-cig. $5.95. 0mg nicotine.
posted by irisclara at 7:36 AM on October 8, 2015


Chalk! You could even color the tip gray/red.
posted by peep at 8:22 AM on October 8, 2015


You definitely want a prop cigarette. They look amazingly real, but you can't suck on them and they won't make the mess/smell of various herbal cigarettes etc. Plus they'll probably be less likely to trigger any craving.
posted by you're a kitty! at 8:26 AM on October 8, 2015 [1 favorite]


Just about any e-cig/one-hitter bat/painted chalk is going to be way too heavy for a cigarette holder -even if it doesn't fall out it will be unbalanced and you won't be able to hold it convincingly. Candy cigs are usually way smaller than regular cigs if I remember correctly and probably won't fit in the holder. Prop stage cigarette would be fine! We used them in our high school play and I don't remember them smelling of much of anything. They do taste awful though so don't get drunk and inhale accidentally.
posted by cilantro at 8:29 AM on October 8, 2015


I would get a tick of chalk and dip the end in some red ink. No smoke but no one wants fake smoke blowing around anyway.

But then my father was a teacher so there was always chalk around. Anything white and stick like will work (candy, rolled up paper) because the cigarette holder will sell it for you.
posted by shelleycat at 11:03 AM on October 8, 2015


Prop cigarettes in a holder. I'd be really leery of anything that you actually smoke because it's likely to make you crave a cigarette at this early stage of your quit. And congratufuckinglations on quitting—I know how hard it is.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 11:23 AM on October 8, 2015


Response by poster: Thanks very much for all of the suggestions! To manage with the cigarette holder, I'll probably get the prop cigarettes suggested by you're a kitty! but I really appreciate all of the responses.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 12:49 PM on October 8, 2015 [2 favorites]


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