Legislatures in Hawaii are considering a bill that would ban flavored tobacco products throughout the entire state. This bill comes on the hills of legislation in other states that have taken on flavored tobacco products, including a prominent bill being considered in San Francisco [read more here].
This isn’t the first time a flavored tobacco product ban has been considered in Hawaii. Back in 2014, a bill was proposed but ultimately failed. If passed, this bill would make Hawaii the first U.S. state to ban flavored tobacco as other bills have tackled the issue within cities only. While the bill would cover all flavored tobacco products, the growing popularity of e-cigarettes and flavored e-liquids has inspired this latest bill. Advocates of this bill feel this piece of legislation could help combat youth use of tobacco products and nicotine addiction.
Menthol would not be included in the ban because the state’s House of Representatives Committee on Health believed that banning it would negatively impact the state’s tax revenue brought in my menthol cigarettes. According to committee chair Rep. John Mizuno, cigarette taxes fund many state initiatives including cancer research, community health centers, ambulances and hospital trauma centers.
