Cigarette Paper May Cut Risk of Fire, Firm Says

Philip Morris Cos. is wrapping all Merit brand cigarettes sold in the United States in a patented paper that it says may reduce the risk that a dropped or carelessly discarded cigarette will ignite some household fabrics.

The nation’s biggest cigarette company said Tuesday it had decided in the last few weeks to use the new cigarette paper nationally for its fourth-biggest brand after receiving favorable results from tests with consumers in Denver and Buffalo.

It plans to begin shipping the cigarettes to its warehouses next week and expects they will be widely available to smokers by early September.

The announcement came as a Philip Morris’ attorney argued before a Florida jury that the punitive damage award of up to $196 billion sought by the smokers’ attorney in a class-action suit would be a “death warrant” for the five major U.S. tobacco companies.

Matt Myers, who heads the anti-tobacco group Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, questioned the timing, saying “the fire Philip Morris is trying to put out isn’t in the house, it’s in the courtroom.”

But Philip Morris USA spokesman Michael Pfeil said it was coincidental that the Merit announcement was made as closing arguments were being made in the Florida case.