New "Fire-Safe Cigarettes" (FSCs): Better or worse?

[cucuy]

I’m not a smoker but from what I’ve learned these are far worse than regular cigarettes. And that there are over half of the states in the US requiring they be sold over the other type is alarming.

Here’s a link to an information website.

And here’s a link to an online petition, FWIW.

Currently hand-rolled cigarettes are exempt, but the sentiment is that may soon change.

[bouv]

So…could you point us in the direction of this information that says they’re far worse, or do we just have to take your (and the commenters on that petition site’s) word?

Edit: That first link is clearly pro fire safe cigarettes, so we’re only getting one side of the issue. All I can tell from the other site is that a lot of smokers are convinced there are other “chemicals” in these new cigarettes that must be so much worse for you than what’s already in regular cigarettes.

[Digital_Stimulus]

Better or worse in what respect:

1. Health-wise?
2. Fire reduction?
3. The act of smoking?
4. Other?

As of now, I can only answer 2 (better) and 3 (worse).

[Kimmy_Gibbler]

The only thing I had heard about them was that they supposedly taste worse. On the other hand, Illinois required fire-safe cigarettes starting on Jan. 1, 2008, six months before I quit the p-funks–I didn’t even know anything had changed until, like, April of that year.

[Larry_Mudd]

@bouv

All I can tell from the other site is that a lot of smokers are convinced there are other “chemicals” in these new cigarettes that must be so much worse for you than what’s already in regular cigarettes.

Wouldn’t a plain tobacco cigarette be an improvement over the standard?

(Especially the American standard - it always weirds me out to see those little jets of accelerant flaming away.)

[Spoons]

@Larry_Mudd

Wouldn’t a plain tobacco cigarette be an improvement over the standard?

(Especially the American standard - it always weirds me out to see those little jets of accelerant flaming away.)

Relax, Larry–your cigarettes are pure tobacco. From a report (warning: PDF) by Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada:

Canadian cigarettes are very different from those sold in the United States and in many other countries. The U.S. cigarette is made of a combination of different types of tobaccos (burley, oriental and Virginia), which are blended with flavourings and casings. Virtually all Canadian cigarettes are manufactured from the same variety of Virginia tobacco, grown in the same five Ontario counties.

This is supported by Imperial Tobacco (Player’s, du Maurier, Cameo, etc. for example):

Most of the Canadian cigarettes do not contain additives in the tobacco. The additives that are used are in the paper or in the filter. That’s quite the contrary to what they have in the U.S. market, where up to 200 additives are used. So Canadian cigarettes are quite different…

In Canada, adult consumer preference is for 100% Virginia flue-cured tobaccos.

Looks like you’re probably smoking pure tobacco already, Larry. Just avoid the imported US cigarettes.

[jasonh300]

They don’t taste any different but they don’t stay lit either. It’s very inconsistent. Sometimes, if you put a cigarette down in an ashtray, it’ll burn all the way down but they’ll sometimes go out between drags. The tobacco seems to burn faster than the paper so it smothers itself.

[cucuy]

I linked to the official website and then to an online petition— I didn’t consider that the topic might be unknown to responders.

The information I read regarding anti-FSC came from two blogs, and I didn’t think that would support a valid argument against FSCs. (I’ll go back and see if I can locate a link to one of those blogs.) I was looking for user-feedback (like jasonh300, thank you) and opinions on how the federal government is restricting the sale of cigarettes by pushing these on the public. I’ll come back to this after I find substantiated reports regarding adverse health reactions.

[cucuy]

Here are a few cites to inform anyone who’s not up on this:

Wikipedia.

A YouTube video that lists the dangers of FSCs.

And this is the blog where I first read about FSCs.

(If any of these links are inappropriate, please request a mod to remove.)

[Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake]

@Larry_Mudd

(Especially the American standard - it always weirds me out to see those little jets of accelerant flaming away.)

I don’t understand. Please elaborate. (I’m not a smoker)