Only fire-safe cigarettes will be available legally in Rhode Island if proposed legislation is passed by the General Assembly. State Sen. James Doyle, D-Dist. 8, has introduced a bill, modeled on a 2004 New York law, that would prohibit the sale of cigarettes that are not fire-safe.
Fire-safe cigarettes differ from other kinds of cigarettes in that they are wrapped in two or three narrow bands of less porous paper. If a burning cigarette is left unattended, it is likely to extinguish when it burns down to one of the bands.
Retailers, wholesale dealers and cigarette manufacturers who do not comply with the proposed act would face fines as high as $10,000, according to a press release from Doyle.
Doyle's legislation is supported by groups including the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, the AARP and the National Fire Protection Association. States with similar laws already in place include Massachusetts, Vermont, California and Illinois.
