Abstract: An apparatus for marking cigarettes with a mark to terminate operation of a smoking machine includes a jig for holding at least 40 cigarettes and maintaining the cigarettes' position with a seam side of each cigarette facing a given direction. A scannable laser having a laser light output at an intensity and frequency makes a scorch mark on the seam of each cigarette paper without perforating the cigarette paper. A software control system for the scannable laser is programmed to cause the laser to scan over the cigarettes in the jig to etch and make a circumferentially-oriented line segment mark no longer than 1.5 millimeter and no wider than 0.5 millimeter on the cigarettes at a predetermined position along the length of the cigarettes.