Can Smoking Really Save Lives?
October 12th, 2009 by Penny Hagerman
Yes, you read correctly. Along with the never-ending debate over the health risk of secondhand smoke vs. smokers’ right to smoke, recent research reveals that smoking can actually save lives—as long as the smoker inhales a different kind of cigarette. 
Already tested in the Big Apple and proven to save lives there, New York has seen a marked decrease in smoking-related fire fatality since adopting sale of what’s known as fire-safe, or low-ignition, cigarettes statewide in 2004.
But how could switching to a different type of smoke save lives? Because this type:
- Spares millions of dollars in property damage and saves thousands of lives annually
- Keeps smokers from lighting up so often, and
- Reduces home insurance claims
Here’s how they work. Containing two or three layers of porous paper called “speed bumps,” fire-safe cigarettes are designed to sense when a minute or more has passed since a smoker last inhaled—and self-extinguish automatically.
That means smokers must puff faster to stay lit-up—or they’ll end up smoking less. And that’s good news for everyone’s health and well being, smoker or not.
Now, legislation is being proposed that could pull traditional cigarettes off store shelves in many more states and replace them with the low-ignition variety.
For more information on the subject, check out our article titled, Save Lives, Smokers: Puff Faster! And watch for low-ignition cigarettes at a store near you.
October 14th, 2009 at 7:06 am
Reading about the obvious advantages i can’t help but think how this will impact cigarette sales. As if we weren’t puffing fast enough, they’ve put us on a rat race. You might end up puffing faster or getting annoyed and giving up - hey, another advantage!
October 15th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
You definitely have a point there. I’m not a smoker, but if I were, I think I might end up quitting out of frustration just trying to keep these things lit!