There is no such thing as a safe way to smoke. But one bill that has gone to the Missouri governor could mean one less danger during and after smoking.
Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas already have laws requiring stores to sell Fire Safe Cigarettes.
But supporters of this law say Missouri should too, not only for smokers, but for non-smokers as well.
Health risks aside, some state officials in Missouri believe the Fire Safe Cigarettes - or FSC - are physically safer.
"How it works is the wrapper around the tobacco, they put three bands in it, and once the tobacco burns to that band if it's not being puffed on, then it just automatically extingushes itself," says Ryan Dalton of Dalton's Discount Liquor & Tobacco.
Missouri lawmakers recently approved a measure to soon require all stores to sell only Fire Safe Cigarettes.
Firefighters say nationwide there are 1,000 fire-related deaths each year from people misusing cigarettes.
Twenty five percent of these deaths are people who do not smoke, but are in the same building where the unattended lit cigarette caused a fire.
A third of those non-smoking victims are children.
"Here in Joplin, in the last five years we've had about 150 fires caused by misuse of smoking material," says Joplin Fire Marshal Andrew Roughton. "In the last 90 days we've had three structure fires, resulting in over $300,000 worth of damages and one fatality."
Roughton says each one of these fires could have been prevented.
"Any fires caused by misuse of smoking materials would be preventable if people would just use them the correct way and make sure that they're out every time and all the time," he explains.
Since fire safe cigarretes do not cost more to customers, the idea to make them the standard is accepted by at least one store manager.
"That'll cut down innocent fatalities, family members and children that don't smoke," Dalton says.
The Fire Safe Cigarette bill becomes law once Governor Nixon signs it into action.
Missouri would become the 46th state to have this law.
The only states that do not are Alabama, Michigan, Nebraska and Wyoming.
By JORDAN AUBEY
