From: Joe@smokefree.org
Date: Fri, 10/07/05
California Becomes Third State to Require Fire-Safe Cigarettes
CA joins New York, Vermont, and Canada with fire-safe cigarette law
California, 10/9/05 -- Today, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed
legislation requiring all cigarettes sold in California to be "fire-safe."
California joins New York, Vermont, and Canada as a fire-safe cigarette
jurisdiction.
Cigarettes are the #1 cause of fire death in the United States. According to
the National Fire Protection Association, cigarette-caused fires result in more
than 1,000 civilian deaths, 3,000 critical injuries (many among firefighters),
and $400 million in direct property damage each year.
A fire-safe cigarette goes out when left unsmoked. If a smoker falls asleep
with a lit cigarette, the cigarette goes out after a certain amount of time
instead of causing a fire. Tobacco companies oppose fire-safe cigarette
legislation, because it reduces cigarette sales. Smokers can relight cigarettes
that go out instead of having to light new ones.
Fire-safe cigarettes contain bands, also called speed bumps, along the length of
the cigarette. If smokers don't draw on the cigarette when it burns down to a
speed bump, the cigarette self-extinguishes.
Joseph W. Cherner
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
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