Illinois lawmakers have passed a law mandating that only 'fire-safe' cigarettes be sold in the state starting in 2008, the Associated Press reported May 19.

New York, California, and Vermont already require tobacco companies to sell only the low-ignition cigarettes, designed to go out if they are not puffed. Experts say that between 700 and 900 Americans die each year in house fires caused by cigarettes. "Cigarettes that self-extinguish will help keep families all across the state safe from the kind of accidents that destroy homes and lives," said Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich in signing the bill.

A Harvard School of Public Health study on the New York law found that the special cigarettes were more likely to go out, and that cigarette sales were not affected by the law. But R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. claims the law is ineffective because it could cause people to be more careless with cigarettes.