The bill, introduced by Rep. Ryan Yamane, proposes that no cigarettes may be sold in the state unless they have been tested in the specified test method, meets the performance standard specified, and the cigarette manufacturer has filed a written certification with the state fire council in accordance with the legislation. The cigarettes would need to be specifically marked as fire safe.
In 2004, New York became the first state to require that cigarettes be fire safe if sold in the state. The cigarettes are rolled with a log-ignition paper, and while they are not guaranteed to go out on their own, they are expected to significantly lower the number of fires related to smokers who carelessly toss lit cigarettes or fall asleep while smoking a lit cigarette.
Here is a pack of cigarettes for sale in NY marked with a long black bar over the bar code to indicate that the cigarettes are fire safe. NY retailers say they have not received complaints about the cigarettes, nor have they noticed any decrease in sales.
HB2438, HD1 comes up for a hearing before the Finance Committee on Tuesday in the 2:15 agenda.
But, you can always buy cigarettes thru the internet.
ReplyDeleteA bill requiring the sale of self-extinguishing cigarettes in Massachusetts is on Gov. Mitt Romney's desk.
ReplyDeleteLawmakers approved it Friday during a flurry of activity on the last day of the state's fiscal year.
Fire ignited by cigarettes are the leading cause of home fire deaths in Massachusetts and nationwide, according to the state Fire Marshal's office.
The "fire safe" cigarettes are made with special paper and are designed to go out when they're not being puffed. The goal is to prevent accidental fires that begin when a smoker falls asleep and a cigarette drops onto something flammable.
A handful of other states, including New York, California and Vermont, have already adopted similar laws.
Philip Morris Inc., the nation's largest tobacco company, has said it supports a national, rather than state-by-state fire-safety standard for cigarettes.