Published: October 09, 2005
California Requires Fire-Safe Cigarettes
By Joseph W. Cherner
CA joins New York, Vermont, and Canada with fire-safe cigarette law
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has 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.
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