States Forcing Tobacco Firms to Sell ’Fire-Safe’ Cigarettes

A growing number of U.S. states now require the sale of so-called ’fire-safe’ cigarettes, using local fire codes to get around lax federal cigarette regulations, USA Today reported Jan. 1.

In 2009, the number of states with such laws on the books will rise to 39, with 14 new states requiring that only self-extinguishing cigarettes be sold. Similar federal legislation has been proposed since 1974 but has repeatedly failed due to industry opposition, most recently in 2006.

States with new fire-safe laws in 2009 include Delaware, Iowa, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Washington and Wisconsin. An additional six states will add such laws in 2010.