All the RAve - the RAnts of RA

The liberal leaning states of New York and California led the pack, passing legislation banning non-self-extinguishing cigarettes; many other states are in the process of following their heavy-handed lead.

The state of Illinois will require all cigarettes sold in the state to be self-extinguishing after Jan. 1, 2008. Both Colorado and Iowa are considering passing similar bills. What voters may not realize is they are being hoodwinked. I’m not certain at this point what the monetary motivation is. I do know that "safety" is not the reason behind the push for selling these killer cigarettes.

I supposed this is one way to rid the country of smokers because these cigarettes will kill us off, slowly, one-by-one. The premise behind the push for these so-called self-extinguishing cigarettes is that the cigarette will go out when it is dropped or sitting in an ashtray, and therefore not ignite a careless home fire.

The problem is -- well the problem with these cigarettes are numerous. They don’t go out when they sit in an ashtray, but they do go out while you are holding them. In order to keep them lit you have to suck like a baby on a bottle with a teeny-tiny hole that won’t allow the milk to pass through.

California’s self-extinguishing cigarette law went into effect in January. I can’t sleep at night because I’ve got the granddaddy of smokers’ coughs. Each night when I lay down to sleep it starts. I’ve been smoking for many years (29) and I’ve never had a cough like this in my life.

I didn’t put two and two together, until I had the opportunity to pick up some cigarettes recently while visiting family in Nevada. Low and behold – after smoking only one pack of "regular" cigarettes, my cough was gone but as soon as I started smoking California regulated cigarettes the cough was back in full force.

Which brings me to the next problem; the cigarettes burn unevenly. In attempts to keep the cigarette lit, without blowing out my lungs, I’ve tried relighting it with a lighter, only to have it flare up and almost scorch my eye browse. Many times the paper bands around the cigarette refuse to burn off and end up landing on me causing me to burn my fingers and sometimes even my clothing.

I’ve put more holes in my clothes since California passed this menacing law than I did when I was first learning to smoke. It’s down right painful, not to mention embarrassing.

These new "banded" cigarettes are a health hazard to smokers, causing unnecessary burns, chest pains, uncontrollable coughing jags and should be permanently banned. Voters in states consider implementing these horrid cigarettes should think twice before they further endanger their health. It's bad enough we are told everyday how smoking is bad for us by every self-important well-meaning non-smoker on the face of the planet, and now they seem hell-bent on making it so.

I have a choice to make:

• I can spend years trying to fight this new law;
• I can attempt to bring a class action lawsuit against the state of California;
• I can move to a new state that doesn’t force banded cigarettes on their citizens; or
• I can break the law and go to a neighboring state to purchase my cigarettes, risking jail and/or a fine.

These are tough choices; one I shouldn't be forced into making.

Vote NO on "banded" or "self-extinguishing" cigarette laws being legislated in your state. The life you save could be your own.

Labels: banded cigarettes, legislation, self-extinguishing cigarettes, smokers, smoking