July 10th 2006
On Saturday, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney signed into law a bill requiring cigarettes sold in Massachusetts to be fire-safe. Massachusetts becomes the nation's 6th state to pass fire-safe cigarette legislation, joining New York, Vermont, California, Illinois and New Hampshire.
Fire-safe cigarettes are wrapped in special paper that contain fire-retardant bands, or speed bumps, that snuff out cigarettes when left unpuffed.
Cigarettes are the nation's leading cause of fire deaths. The National Fire Protection Association estimates that 700 to 800 people are killed annually in the United States by fires started by unattended cigarettes.
Tobacco companies oppose fire-safe cigarette laws.
Joseph W. Cherner - "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the
world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead
Next Page >> |
