Australia to Speed Introduction of Safe Cigarettes After Fir

[Christopher]

Australia to Speed Introduction of Safe Cigarettes After Fires

By Michael Heath

Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- The Australian government is seeking to accelerate the introduction of self-extinguishing cigarettes in the wake of the nation’s deadliest bushfires.

Consumer Affairs Minister Chris Bowen has asked for advice from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission “looking at the possibility of bringing forward the start date” from March 2010, his spokesman said by telephone today.

Police aren’t ruling out that a discarded cigarette may have ignited one of the blazes that swept through the southeastern state of Victoria this month, killing at least 208 people.

The commission is in talks with cigarette companies and importers about an earlier introduction, Peter Kell, deputy chair of the ACCC, said.

“The aim is for a date before the next bushfire season,” he said by telephone today.

Victorian statistics suggest about 7 percent of bushfires on public land are started by cigarettes and 8 percent of fire- related deaths in Australia between 2000 and 2006 were linked to cigarettes, according to ACCC research published last year.

The fire safe cigarettes, made with special paper and lower burning additives so they go out if left unattended, are compulsory in some U.S. states.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Heath in Sydney at mheath1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 20, 2009 00:59 EST

Now keep in mind Australia is one of the countries that has placed a ban on Electronic Cigarettes...Unbelievable

[Royce]

yeah.... all they are doing is forcing fire safe ciggs... like the ones we have in cali that taste like total *** compared to the non fire safe kind.