Tobacco.org

EDITORIAL: Congress should make the fire-safe cigarettes mandatory in all states 

Few people realize just how long the effort to put fire-safe cigarettes on the market has been going on. Federal legislation was first proposed in 1974 and has been fought tooth and nail ever since by the tobacco industry. During that time, thousands died from fires started by dropped or misplaced cigarettes.

When supporters of fire-safe cigarettes realized the heavy lobbying effort was thwarting federal legislation, they started going to the states for relief. New York enacted the first state law in 2004, 30 years after the first attempt in Congress.

Delaware's new law went into effect Jan. 1, although Phillip Morris USA started shipping the new cigarettes -- marked on the side as FSC -- last summer. . . .

For those who insist on continuing their smoking habits, at least now their cigarettes are a bit more safe in Delaware, and that's a good thing.

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