The Wisconsin Legislature has before it a bill to reduce the death and destruction that go with cigarette-related fires. Senate Bill 379 and Assembly Bill 717 require that only fire-safe cigarettes be sold in Wisconsin. "Speed bumps" in the paper of the cigarette cause the cigarette to self-extinguish when not smoked.
Fire-safe cigarettes reduce the possibility of a wildfire starting from a carelessly tossed cigarette. Wisconsin is not immune to the type of wildfires that destroyed 250 homes in the Lake Tahoe region and 500 homes in the San Bernardino area in 2007.
Cigarettes cause about 25 percent of fire-related deaths, and are the leading cause of home fire fatalities.
Cigarette-related fires cause about $4 billion in damages - which we all pay for in insurance premiums.
According to www.firesafecigarrets.org, one-quarter of victims of smoking-material fire fatalities are not the smokers themselves. Thirty-four percent are children of the smokers; 25 percent are neighbors or friends; 14 percent are spouses or partners; and 13 percent are parents.
Fire-safe cigarette laws are in effect in Canada and eight states in the U.S., including Illinois, California and New York. Such laws have passed in another 14 states and will go into effect in the coming months. Wisconsin is one of yet another 14 states that have legislation pending.
There is no reason this bill should not become law. It has bipartisan support. There is no organized opposition. Fire-safe cigarettes are no more costly to manufacture than traditional cigarettes, and contain no additional toxins. The cigarette industry does not oppose the legislation.
I am the Senate author of the bill. The Assembly author is Rep. A.J. "Doc" Hines, R-Oxford, a legislative leader on public health issues.
The legislative floor period ends March 13. It is my hope that this bill will be listed among the accomplishments of the 2007-08 session.
Fire-safe cigarettes reduce the possibility of a wildfire starting from a carelessly tossed cigarette. Wisconsin is not immune to the type of wildfires that destroyed 250 homes in the Lake Tahoe region and 500 homes in the San Bernardino area in 2007.
Cigarettes cause about 25 percent of fire-related deaths, and are the leading cause of home fire fatalities.
Cigarette-related fires cause about $4 billion in damages - which we all pay for in insurance premiums.
According to www.firesafecigarrets.org, one-quarter of victims of smoking-material fire fatalities are not the smokers themselves. Thirty-four percent are children of the smokers; 25 percent are neighbors or friends; 14 percent are spouses or partners; and 13 percent are parents.
Fire-safe cigarette laws are in effect in Canada and eight states in the U.S., including Illinois, California and New York. Such laws have passed in another 14 states and will go into effect in the coming months. Wisconsin is one of yet another 14 states that have legislation pending.
There is no reason this bill should not become law. It has bipartisan support. There is no organized opposition. Fire-safe cigarettes are no more costly to manufacture than traditional cigarettes, and contain no additional toxins. The cigarette industry does not oppose the legislation.
I am the Senate author of the bill. The Assembly author is Rep. A.J. "Doc" Hines, R-Oxford, a legislative leader on public health issues.
The legislative floor period ends March 13. It is my hope that this bill will be listed among the accomplishments of the 2007-08 session.
