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It’s not uncommon for Winonans to cross the Interstate Bridge to patronize the store. But it is unusual to see so many buying whole cartons of cigarettes, she said. Several shoppers asked if the store had the “normal” cigarettes, and one man closely inspected his pack before buying it.
“I wasn’t sure what was going on,” she said.
A new Minnesota law requiring the sale of so-called fire-safe cigarettes went into effect Monday. The law, which doesn’t apply in Wisconsin, surprised local retailers, even as smokers drove a few extra miles to buy cigarettes without the safety features.
The measure requires that cigarettes self-extinguish if they are left unattended or not actively smoked. Manufacturers of the special cigarettes wrap them with two or three thin bands of less-porous paper that act as “speed bumps” to slow burning, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Web site.
Customers at several Winona businesses have already voiced complaints about the new design. Ken Siebenaler, owner of Third Street Liquor, said he’s heard negative feedback about the cigarettes going out on their own if they’re not constantly puffed.
Minnesota retailers can sell all their existing inventory before switching to the new products, but any cigarettes manufactured for sale in the state must now have fire-safe features and packages must be marked with a “FSC” (fire standard compliant) seal.
Proponents say the design features will save lives. Officials estimate that 700 to 900 people die nationally in smoking-related fires each year, and more than 12 Minnesotans have died in such fires over the past two years.
Fire Chief Ed Krall could not recall any recent Winona fatalities in fires sparked by cigarettes, but such fires are relatively common, he said.
steve wrote on Dec 2, 2008 2:52 PM: