Title 23
Health and Safety

Chapter 20.11
Reduced Cigarette Ignition Propensity and Firefighter Protection

R.I. Gen. Laws § 23-20.11-3

§ 23-20.11-3. Definitions.

The following terms shall have the following meanings as used in this chapter:

(1) “Agent” shall mean any person authorized by the state to purchase and affix tax stamps on packages of cigarettes.

(2) “Cigarette” shall mean any roll for smoking whether made wholly or in part of tobacco or any other substance, irrespective of size or shape and whether or not such tobacco or substance is flavored, adulterated or mixed with any other ingredient, the wrapper or cover of which is made of paper or any other substance or material except tobacco, and that because of its size, appearance, the type of tobacco used in its filler, or its packaging or labeling, is likely to be offered to, or purchased by, consumers as a cigarette or cigarette equivalent.

(3) “Director” shall mean the director of the Rhode Island department of health.

(4) “Manufacturer” shall mean:

(i) Any entity which manufacturers or otherwise produces cigarettes or causes cigarettes to be manufactured or produced anywhere that such manufacturer intends to be sold in this state, including cigarettes intended to be sold in the United States through an importer; or

(ii) The first purchaser anywhere that intends to resell in the United States cigarettes manufactured anywhere that the original manufacturer or maker does not intend to be sold in the United States; or

(iii) Any entity that becomes a successor of an entity described in paragraph (a) or (b) of this subdivision.

(5) “Repeatability” shall mean the range of values within which the repeat results of cigarette test trails from a single laboratory will fall ninety-five percent (95%) of the time.

(6) “Retail dealer” shall mean any person other than a manufacturer or wholesale dealer engaged in selling cigarettes or tobacco products.

(7) “Sale” shall mean any transfer of title or possession or both, exchange or barter, conditional or otherwise, in any manner or by any means whatever or any agreement therefor. In addition to cash and credit sales, the giving of cigarettes as samples, prizes or gifts, and the exchanging of cigarettes for any consideration other than money are considered sales.

(8) “Sell” shall mean to sell, or to offer or agree to do the same.

(9) “Quality control and quality assurance program” shall mean the laboratory procedures implemented to ensure that operator bias, systematic and nonsystematic methodological errors, and equipment-related problems do not affect the results of the testing. This program ensures that the testing repeatability remains within the required repeatability values stated in subsection 23-20.11-4(a) of this act for all test trials used to certify cigarettes in accordance with this law.

(10) “Wholesale dealer” shall mean any person who sells cigarettes or tobacco products to retail dealers or other persons for purposes of resale, and any person who owns, operates or maintains one or more cigarette or tobacco product vending machines in, at or upon premises owned or occupied by any other person.

History of Section.
P.L. 2007, ch. 245, § 1; P.L. 2007, ch. 333, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 475, § 64.