Cigarettes Machines in Kansas

Kansas authorities have pulled the plug on about 20 automated roll-your-own cigarette retail outlets in Kansas, citing fire hazards from the machines.

The Kansas Department of Revenue licenses the venues, which involve dual machines that allow customers to convert bags of loose tobacco and boxes of unfiltered papers into cigarettes. The Kansas State Fire Marshal has issued cease-and-desist letters noting a fire-safety law stipulating cigarettes rolled at commercial establishments had to use a type of paper that resists quick burn rates, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported Friday.


Kansas regulators applied the safety standard only to operation of the rolling machines. There is no state law prohibiting individuals from rolling their own cigarettes.

Agents of the state entered stores to wrap electrical plugs on mechanical rolling machines with evidence tape. Store owners were warned anyone resuming use of the equipment could be slapped with steep fines.

Bob Peckinpaugh said sales at his strip mall cigarette store have dropped considerably since he idled his dual $32,500 machines because of the state concerns. He also said the specialty paper wasn’t available to roll-your-own retail outlets.

“Without the machine we have no business,” Peckinpaugh said. “If we don’t reopen in a few days, we’ll close this store.”

Seth Valerius, general counsel with the Kansas fire marshal, said the orders were necessary to make the businesses comply with fire-safety laws.

“It’s a public safety issue,” he said.

Large cigarette manufacturing companies comply with the state’s law by paying a $250 fee every three years to affirm laboratory testing demonstrated each brand and style of cigarette sold by those companies in Kansas were produced with paper treated to sharply reduce its capacity to start fires.

Tom Erickson, owner of Trader Jacks Tobacco in Shawnee, said state officials walked into his store, taped off his machine and indicated he’d be fined $10,000 fine if he tore plastic from the plug and returned to work.

“I understand if you don’t like smoking,” Erickson said, “but for them to shut me down without a court order just isn’t right.”