E-cigarettes, or vapes, which heat a liquid to make an aerosol that resembles smoke, enjoyed a rapid increase in popularity as smokers turned to these nicotine-delivery devices, seeing them as a less toxic habit than cancer-causing tobacco products. However, vaping quickly also became an attraction to youth, especially teens, many of whom came to see vaping as a safely “cool” thing to do.
Vapes and tobacco products of any kind can’t legally be sold to those under 21, but they have been easily available by mail-order online and are sold by some retailers who don’t adequately verify buyers’ ages.
And vaping, like cigarette smoking, is anything but safe for young people.
A House bill to prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products and the mislabeling of e-liquids burned in vapes as nicotine-free and a Senate bill that would, among other things, significantly raise the tax on e-cigarettes, placing them in the same regulation category as tobacco, remain under consideration at the state Legislature — and both should be enacted. Both have been introduced largely to keep these hazard-substance delivery devices out of the hands of youth, and that is a goal worthy of staunch effort.
>> House Bill 551, prohibiting the sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products, is backed by the legislative Keiki Caucus. Supporters include the state Health and Education departments, American Heart Association, Hawaii State Teachers Association and American Cancer Society.
In his statement supporting the bill, schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi reported that elementary school students have said they want to “try” flavored tobacco, because they see it everywhere and adults use it. That’s the danger HB 551 seeks to eliminate.
>> Senate Bill 975 would make shipping tobacco products to those under 21 a criminal offense in Hawaii. It would also place a 70% tax on e-cigarettes/vapes, consolidating supervision and taxation under the state’s cigarette and tobacco tax laws.
This stricter regulation is necessary, as Hawaii’s Department of Health (DOH) testified, to serve as “a preventive buffer” between vaping and youth, necessary to counteract the rise in youthful consumption of nicotine via vaping.
In 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 18% of all middle school youth in Hawaii vape, making Hawaii the dubious “first” among 14 states reporting this data; 31% of Hawaii’s high school students reported using e-cigarettes.
The CDC lays out a clear case for keeping both cigarettes and e-cigarettes away from kids, teens and young adults. Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine — a highly addictive substance that can harm adolescents’ brain development through their mid-20s — and e-cigs also can contain other harmful substances. Further, young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future, after developing an addiction to nicotine.
Banning tempting flavored tobacco products will eliminate that avenue for getting youth hooked on smoking. HB 551 also includes provisions for inspectors and a hearing officer, to ensure the law is followed.
Increasing the cost and regulation attached to e-cigarettes will also reduce consumption. For that reason, raising the tax on e-cigarette/vape sales as SB 975 would do is good policy. At present, e-cigarettes only have the general excise tax attached.
In its support for stricter rules, the Hawaii Public Health Institute notes that comprehensive regulation of cigarettes in Hawaii has lowered the adult smoking rate and reduced high school smoking. That’s a healthy trend Hawaii must continue, by passing these laws.
