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It’s not uncommon for Winonans to cross the bridge to patronize the store. But it is unusual to see so many buying whole cartons of cigarettes, she said. Several shoppers asked whether the store had the “normal” cigarettes, and one man closely inspected his pack before buying it.
“I wasn’t sure what was going on,” she said.
A new Minnesota law requiring the sale of so-called fire-safe cigarettes went into effect Monday. The law, which doesn’t apply in Wisconsin, surprised local retailers, even as smokers drove a few extra miles to buy cigarettes without the safety features.
The measure requires cigarettes self-extinguish if they are left unattended or not actively smoked. Manufacturers of the modified cigarettes wrap them with two or three thin bands of less-porous paper that act as “speed bumps” to slow burning, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
Customers at several Winona businesses already have voiced complaints about the new design.
Ken Siebenaler, owner of Third Street Liquor, said he has heard negative comments about the cigarettes going out if they’re not constantly puffed.
Minnesota retailers can sell all their existing inventory before switching to the new products, but any cigarettes manufactured for sale in the state must now have fire-safe features, and packages must be marked with a “FSC” (fire standard compliant) seal.
Proponents say the design features will save lives. Officials estimate that 700 to 900 people die each year in smoking-related fires each year, and more than
12 Minnesotans have died in such fires over the past two years.
