States Pass Legislation on Fire-Safe Cigarettes

By the end of 2009, 32 states will require cigarettes be self-extinguishing. Eighteen of these states already require that cigarettes sold by vendors be fire-safe. These relatively new fire-safe cigarettes are designed to go out if they are dropped, or forgotten about in the ashtray.

As of January 1, 2009, fire-safe cigarettes are mandatory in Delaware, Iowa, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Throughout 2009, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Washington, and Wisconsin will also put their fire-safe cigarette laws into effect. Six more states are set to enact laws in 2010, and even seven others are currently working on their own self-extinguishing cigarette laws.

The only states, as of now, that have not filed legislation related to fire-safe cigarettes are Nevada, New Mexico, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Arizona, Mississippi, Alabama, and West Virginia.

Canada requires fire-safe cigarettes nationwide using the New York standard. Australia will put their fire-safe regulations into effect in March of 2010. The European Union will have to be fire-safe by 2011, and Switzerland is planning the follow the European Union's lead.

These state actions are coming after more than 30 years of tobacco companies opposing safe cigarette legislation at the federal level.

Fire-safe, or self-extinguishing, cigarettes sport what has been called 'speed bumps'. When the burning tobacco reaches one of these speed bumps it will extinguish itself. The speed bumps are to be made of thicker filter paper.

New York was the first state to pass fire-safe cigarette laws in 2004.

Some tobacco companies have agreed to make all of their cigarettes fire-safe while others have agreed to work with each state and proved fire-safe cigarettes only in states that are requiring them.

Prior to this new fire-safe legislation, many states had already enacted legislation on smoking bans. Some cities across the United States have even implemented their own smoking bans separately from their states. Many of these smoking bans include no smoking in restaurants, bars, government buildings, and other businesses.

Many of the smoking bans are related to enclosed workplaces and bars, with some exceptions. Some businesses were required to make a non-smoking section that is not near where a smoker would be. Many cities have adopted legislation that disallows smoking on public sidewalks or within a certain amount of feet of a government building.

Many states adopted these laws in order to prevent smoking, and promote good health. Others have stated that they have adopted the laws in an effort to help clean up the air in their city and/or state.

More information about smoking bans in the United States can be found here.

More information about fire-safe cigarettes, laws, and history about smoking related fires can be found here.

sources:

USA Today - print edition

http://firesafecigarettes.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_smoking_bans_in_the_United_States