New Cigarettes Igniting Controversy
It may sound like an oxymoron…a fire safe cigarette. But they are real and they are law in two states in our area. That means every pack sold is labeled FSC or fire safe cigarettes. The cigarettes are made to go out on their own and the new law has plenty of people fired up.
At cigarette stores across Kentucky, three letters are igniting quite the controversy. “I don’t really care for them. They don’t taste the same anymore,” says Danny Scott. His cigarettes taste different because they are FSC. It’s not a brand, but rather a brand new rule in Kentucky that all cigarettes sold be fire safe.
So they go out on their own. If you see the initials FSC on a pack of cigarettes it means each one has special paper to slow the burning process. Simply put, if you’re not puffing, it’s going out. “If you are just sitting here talking like you and me are and you’ve got one lit, don’t take fifteen seconds and it’s out,” says Scott.
Actually, we tested that theory and it took an unattended cigarette five minutes and 41 seconds to go out. But it’s not the inconvenience most people complain about.”It doesn’t give me a headache just gives me a copper taste in my mouth. It’s nasty,” says smoker Jewell Robertson. It may be nasty, but Deputy Fire Marshall Greg Cherry says the new law basically boils down to safety. “We realize they are going to be an inconvenience to some people but the overall big picture is that they end up saving property and possibly lives,” Cherry says.
For Danny Scott, there is another option, “We’ll buy them in Missouri or Arkansas, that way they’re not fire safe,” he adds. But he may not have that option for long because Missouri is close to adding the three letters to their cigarettes too.
Kentucky and Illinois have laws on the books that require cigarettes sold to be fire safe. Legislation is pending in both Missouri and Tennessee.
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May 27th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Ah yes, big brother taking care of us poor, dumb, common sense lacking Americans once again. Thank God for these fire safe cigarettes. Now I will feel safe when laying my lit cigarette down next to me on the sofa cushion, or on the carpet, while watching TV. No more need reaching for those pesky ashtrays and finding that little slot that holds the cigarette, and might I add, did a fairly good job of extinguishing the cigarette itself.
Way to go, anti smoking fanatics!
July 24th, 2008 at 1:25 am
i have been a light smoker for over 20 yrs. (about 1/2 pack a day).
i’ve never smoked in bed or burned holes in my clothes, carpeting or car upholstry. since these supposed “safer” cigarettes were forced on smokers by our state government, i now have burns in all of these. i have also received burns to my hands and arms. one burn was serious enough to require first aid. i still have scars.
when these cigarettes are not dragged on for a minute or so, they start to go out. you have to puff really hard to get them going again. the cherry starts to burn from the back side causing a separation with the front half of the cherry falling off and burning anything it touches. i and many other people have experienced sore, scratchy throats, headaches and other adverse side effects from these cigarettes. conditions that we had not experienced with the old style cigarettes.
the tobacco companies and their lobby say that there are only extra bands of paper added. extra paper alone would not make these cigarettes taste so horribly different or cause all of the health problems people are experiencing. they must be adding yet another unknown chemical to them.
the manufacturers will not reveal the ingredients of their products.
the FDA has mandated that all consumable products post a list of ingredients on their label. why are tobacco products exempt from this federal mandate?
no testing on smokers was ever done on this new product.
this is a class action lawsuit just waiting to happen, when it does you can bet that i will be a part of it. someone needs to be held accountable for all of the damages these are causing.
these new cigarettes are far more hazzardous than their predecessors ever were.
bottom line…
these supposed “fire safe cigarettes” have damaged my home, my car, my health and burned my skin.
for more info, go to stateline.org and type “fire safe cigarettes” in the google search box. you can read many comments by smokers who are very dissatisfied with fire safe cigaettes.