Fire Safe Cigarettes Mandated in 5 More US States

by Terri Potratz | January 2, 2009 at 02:17 pm

2798 views | 18 Recommendations | 12 comments

As of January 1 2009, 5 US more states put into effect a mandate which requires that stores sell only fire-safe cigarettes from now on.

Delaware, Iowa, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Texas on Thursday joined 17 other states in mandating the fire-safe cigarettes. Fifteen other states have laws that will take effect this year or next, according to the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes.

The paper on these "fire-safe" cigarettes is thicker in two separate spots so they will go out if not puffed when they burn to these areas. The idea is to prevent fires caused when cigarettes are left unattended.

Critics say that the fire-safe brands taste different and can extinguish a cigarette before a smoker is done smoking it.

About 800 Americans die each year in fires caused by careless smoking and the coalition estimates that number will be reduced if at least half the states pass the law.

While the new cigarettes may be safter, may smokers aren't happy with the law, citing that the new ones are harder to smoke and taste differently than traditional cigarettes. But they had better get used to it, as by the end of this year the majority of states will have signed on to the mandate:

According to the coalition, states that already had implemented fire-safe cigarette laws are New York, Vermont, California, Oregon, New Hampshire, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Montana, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Utah, Alaska, Rhode Island and Minnesota, as well as the District of Columbia.
Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Colorado, Arizona, Washington, Louisiana, Hawaii and Wisconsin have laws that take effect this year, according to the coalition's Web site. Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and South Carolina have laws that will take effect in 2010.

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dogsy

at 19:42 on January 2nd, 2009

A faster way to kill smokers, perhaps, who will need to puff more frequently to keep it lit (I knew something was up about a year ago when my cigs kept going out!). What next, the introduction of a new alcohol control law (far more deaths from alcohol than the 800 cited above via cigs) mandating 'fast-evaporating' alcohol? Drink your pint within five minutes otherwise it disappears into the ether. Hey, that's /my/ patent, go get your own ;)

Uwe Paschen

at 04:45 on January 3rd, 2009

How much more toxic are those?

azzayindia

at 08:06 on January 3rd, 2009

well in india Bidis made of Tendu leaves are like that they need continous puffing.

aziza (not verified)

at 08:26 on January 3rd, 2009

I think it's a great idea!

Montoya (not verified)

at 14:57 on January 25th, 2009

I think it's a good idea as well. There is so many stories of people that often fall asleep with a lit cigarette in their hand and end up getting killed by a fire. Imagine being in an apartment complex and sharing a wall with the smoker that falls asleep with that lit cigarette. Surely, not a good outcome.

Tammy Tan (not verified)

at 00:33 on January 5th, 2009

Boge Electronic cigarette ---satisfy your desire,avoid the hazard !

Electronic cigarette is high-technology device. It looks , feels, tastes like a normal e-cigarette, but contains no tar, no carcinogenic ingredients.No danger of second-hand smoking and environment pollution. No ignition and fire hazard.

It's not part of smoking ban, why not choose electronic cigarette ?

Boge Electronic cigarette---towards you to better health !

Thad (not verified)

at 16:03 on January 5th, 2009

There's a petition, for anybody interested, for repealing the (so called) "Fire-Safe" cigarette laws; http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/repeal-fire-safe-cigarette-laws

Brian Mulligan (not verified)

at 12:22 on January 14th, 2009

Fire Safe Cigarette are actually more toxic and more of a threat. Here's why:

For those states that haven't passed the so called Fire Safe Cigarette law be thankful they didn't. In reality; there is no such thing as a fire safe cigarette. This so called fire safe cigarette process will succeed in not only putting the smoker at greater risk with additional health related issues because of the additional toxins that are released into the air, but they produce almost twice as much potential fire starting ash than the original. This new cigarette is 20 to 30 percent more toxic and almost doubles the possibility of an irresponsible person starting a fire because of the additional ash that is produced. Here are just some of the facts:

The Harvard School of Health reported that when comparing NY Cigarettes (FSC) versus Regular Cigarettes, the FSC cigarettes produced 13.9% more Naphthalene and 11.4% more carbon monoxide than regular cigarettes.[1] Naphthalene is commonly found in moth balls, and exposure in high amounts can result in more critical Symptoms of acute exposure include headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, malaise, confusion, anemia, jaundice, convulsions, and coma. Therefore, it has been proven that FSC cigarettes contain higher levels of chemicals that are harmful to smokers. Come on people get unstuck off stupid things are never what they seem or what they tell you. Do the research before you jump on the band-wagon.

Ajlouny

at 14:23 on January 24th, 2009

Cigarettes are just plain bad for you. It's best to quit cold turkey and lay that chapter to rest.

Thad (not verified)

at 20:51 on March 17th, 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mTXZVCOM0Y

http://www.newscientist.com/commenting/browse?id=dn3192

Robert Fleming (not verified)

at 00:13 on April 20th, 2009

Brian Mulligan is right and the percentages of carbon monoxide and the other chemical were located on a website until recently when that website DISAPPEARED off of the internet. It's gone, nowhere to be found. He's right and the government doesn't want you to see the proof. No conspiracy theories but it's true.

MyALA (not verified)

at 21:00 on May 28th, 2009

I have been smoking these new FSC cigarettes for about two weeks now, my throat has been sore since. I thought it was spring allergies, but I changed brands, no FSC. It is definately the cigarettes have something in them not right. Makes your mouth burn. They figure smokers are not citizens anyway! Buy your cigarettes from native americans, they grew it long before Columbus ever profited from it. Much cheaper, organic, and they do not have to pay the federal taxes on them, so you don't. They will use the money to profit the tribes, and not for stupid legislation.