Hawaii Raises Legal Smoking Age to 21
Becoming the first state to do so, Hawaii will raise its legal smoking age to 21 beginning on the first day of 2016. So, starting next year, Hawaiians will have to be 21 to purchase cigarettes. With vapor and e-cigarette use on the rise among teens, Hawaii lawmakers are hoping they can prevent more adolescents from smoking, buying or possessing both traditional and electronic cigarettes.
According to the state health department, over 5,000 adolescents try smoking in Hawaii each year and 86 percent of Hawaiian adults started smoking before they were 21 years old. Also troubling, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids reported that 1,400 people die from tobacco use or exposure in Hawaii every year.
Cbsnews.com indicated that Hawaii Govenor David Ige is hopeful the new law will help in a big way to prevent teen smoking. They quote him as saying, “Raising the minimum age as part of our comprehensive tobacco control efforts will help reduce tobacco use among our youth and increase the likelihood that our keiki will grow up tobacco-free,” using the Hawaiian word for children.
Beginning January 1, 2016, if a person is caught attempting to buy cigarettes in Hawaii under the legal age, they will be fined $10 on the first attempt. Later violations are harsher and include fines and mandatory community service.
Also, Governor Ige just signed another anti-smoking measure to make Hawaii’s state parks and beaches smoke-free.
Because research shows that many kids who try smoking are more apt to develop addictions and substance abuse problems later on, measures such as these in Hawaii will hopefully lead to prevention of not just smoking, but other dangerous habits as well.