Hawaii law raising smoking age to 21 goes into effect

The new law prohibiting people under 21 from buying cigarettes also includes statewide restrictions on using e-cigarettes in restaurants and other places that already ban smoking.

Vendors that are found in violation of the new law by selling cigarettes to underage people face a $500 fine the first time and upwards of a $2,000 fine after that. Secondhand smoke and cigarette butt litter poisons the air, ground and water with over 7,000 toxic chemicals, at least 70 of which are cancer-causing.

Personally, while I’m opposed to smoking and think that it’s a disgusting habit, I’m not sure these laws are the right way of discouraging teens to smoke.

Electronic cigarettes provide the nicotine without the tar, and are increasingly seen as an effective aid to quitting smoking. On Friday, the state becomes the first in the nation to outlaw tobacco sales to anyone younger than 21.

The U.S. Army, the Department of the Navy and the Marine Corps have each announced their support of Hawaii’s new law. The issue of smoking among young people is also getting attention this week in Indonesia-where critics say the government is not doing enough to stop it.

Not to mention an additional 25 percent become regular, daily smokers between ages 18 and 21, which suggests that those in the 18 to 21 age group are the most vulnerable to smoking habits; it’s a time when many smokers transition from experimental to regular use. Several businesses and hotels plan to produce signs in different languages so that people from other parts of the world will understand the new Hawaii smoking age law.

E-cigarettes were added to the legislation after officials saw the percentage of public high school students smoking the devices quadruple over four years, to 22 percent in 2015.

Lola Irvin, administrator for the state’s Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Division, said the measures make tobacco products less accessible and less attractive to Hawaii’s youth.

According to state health department director Dr. Virginia Pressler, raising the minimum age is a victory because 95 percent of adult smokers begin smoking before the age of 21.

For more information about the new tobacco control laws, including new signage for retailers, go online.