HONOLULU – Hawaii Governor David Ige has signed Senate Bill 1030 (Act 122) into law. When enacted on Jan. 1, 2016, Act 122 will make Hawaii the first state in the nation to prohibit the sale, purchase, possession or consumption of cigarettes, other tobacco products and electronic smoking devices (or elrctronic cigarettes) to anyone under age 21.
“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 to be tobacco free,” said Ige.
Raising the minimum age of legal access (MLA) to 21 will significantly reduce the number of adolescents and young adults who start smoking, the governor said.
Most U.S. states have an MLA of 18, with the exception of four states (Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah) which have raised the minimum age to 19. Hawaii County is one of a handful of cities and counties to have already raised the MLA to 21, having passed the bill last year.
Ige also signed House Bill 525, which will make Hawaii state parks and beaches smoke free. Currently, all city and county parks in Hawaii are smoke-free with the exception of Kaua‘i County. The state law will apply to all facilities within the Hawaii State Park System administered by the Department of Land & Natural Resources. Using tobacco products and electronic smoking devices, or e-cigarettes, at these facilities will be against the law as of Jan. 1, 2016.
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