Question: With so many kids vaping, are there any consequences if they are caught doing it at school?

Answer: Yes. Possession and/or use of electronic smoking devices, commonly known as e-cigarettes or vapes, is prohibited as a Class C offense under Hawaii Administrative Rules Title 8, Chapter 19. This student disciplinary code applies at Hawaii’s public schools.

Punishment can range from a reprimand to suspension from school, according to Chapter 19, which you can read at /808ne.ws/chap19.

Vaping is treated the same as smoking, and the anti-smoking rule applies on school campuses, school buses and at any event sponsored by the state Department of Education, regardless of whether the event occurs on campus.

This approach is consistent with a state law that took effect in 2016. It expanded the definition of smoking to include electronic smoking devices and prohibited their use anywhere smoking is not allowed.

Public schools sent letters home at the end of 2015 informing families of the change, which effectively elevated vaping at school to a more serious offense. State law also forbids adults from smoking or electronic smoking in educational settings.

In addition, according to the DOE, electronic smoking devices are considered contraband because state law (Act 206 Section 712-1258, Hawaii Revised Statutes) forbids anyone under 21 from buying or possessing any tobacco product or electronic smoking device. DOE guidelines call for any electronic smoking device found in a student’s possession to be seized and forfeited to law enforcement.

Hawaii’s Legislature passed a bill last session that would have required public school teachers to confiscate electronic cigarettes from students under 21 and turn the devices over to the Department of Health, which the bill also tasked with creating a “safe harbor” for people under 21 to dispose of e-cigs without penalty; otherwise, people under 21 who violated vaping laws would face fines or community service.

Gov. David Ige vetoed the bill, which you can read at 808ne.ws/dohsafe, citing “considerable implementation concerns and unknown costs relating to certain provisions.”

As your question indicated, research shows heavy vaping among Hawaii high school students, although it doesn’t necessarily all occur at school.

Hawaii’s Health Department says e-cigarettes and vaping products are unsafe, unregulated and should not be used by anyone of any age. It directs parents and educators to HawaiiNoVape.com for prevention information.

Health officials across the country are investigating lung and stomach injuries associated with the use of electronic smoking devices. Concerns about addiction also are rising because nicotine is a common ingredient in e-cig liquid.

Q: I don’t drive. Do I have to get a state ID?

A: No. You are not required to carry a state-issued identification card. Acquiring a state ID is voluntary for people who want one, and they tend to be people who don’t have a driver’s license.

Auwe

Auwe to two young women wearing medical scrubs who came on TheBus Route 1. I observed a senior asking them nicely to please let the seniors boarding the bus, one with a cane, have a seat. The women were sitting on “priority” seats for handicapped and seniors, but they refused to move. Can’t we have more aloha on TheBus? — F.N.

Mahalo

I’d like to say thank you to the two gentlemen at the Flagship FastLube in Pearl City Shopping Center. I was struggling to install my new windshield wipers in the parking lot, and they just came over and like geniuses they figured out a way to use the old brackets on the new wipers. Mahalo from this senior citizen! — Milton

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.