Hawaii Highlights

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Hawai‘i. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Hawai‘i’s elected officials:

On August 6, 2023, Hawai‘i experienced a devastating wildfire that became the largest and deadliest at the time in modern U.S. history. The town of Lahaina on the island of Maui, a significant cultural and economic center, was severely impacted. Over 2,200 structures, including homes, businesses, and apartments, were destroyed, resulting in the loss of countless lives and livelihoods. At least 102 people perished, and 12,000 were displaced, many losing everything they owned.

This rightly caused the state legislature to prioritize supporting fire survivors and rebuilding the economy. This focus on recovery meant that other legislative priorities, including tobacco control, received less attention during the 2024 session.

One notable success was House Bill 982, which provided funding for the Attorney General's Tobacco Enforcement Unit. This unit plays a crucial role in securing funds for Hawai‘i from the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, supporting the majority of tobacco control initiatives in the state.

However, other more meaningful tobacco legislation, such as House Bill 1778, restricting flavored tobacco sales, rewritten to repeal state preemption on counties abilities to regulate tobacco products and House Bill 2504, increasing cigarette taxes, did not advance.

At the county level, there were some measured victories. The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai’i with their Youth Council at the forefront successfully advocated for "trigger laws" in Honolulu County and Hawai'i County, which would end the sale of flavored tobacco if the state legislature grants counties regulatory authority. These laws were enacted in October 2023 and January 2024, respectively.

All throughout, the tobacco industry continues to exert pressure on the Hawai‘i legislature, with many tobacco industry testifiers appearing remotely from national and international locations to refute the proven tobacco control practices to curb the youth vaping epidemic. These industry testifiers seem to have increased in recent years as remote testimony has become more commonplace since the COVID-19 pandemic.

To effectively address the youth vaping epidemic, comprehensive tobacco control measures are essential. This includes implementing full restrictions on all flavored tobacco products and investing in community-based youth cessation programs, which are currently underfunded by the Hawai'i Tobacco Prevention and Control Trust Fund.

Given the state legislature's failure to enact flavored tobacco restrictions, counties have taken the initiative to implement trigger laws. Other counties are considering similar measures. It is crucial to repeal the preemptions enacted in 2018 that prevent counties from establishing their own tobacco control policies.

The American Lung Association in Hawai'i will continue to collaborate with partners and volunteers in 2025. We will emphasize the financial and health benefits of effective tobacco control policies, advocate for increased funding for tobacco control activities, support the elimination of all flavored tobacco products, and advocate for granting counties the authority to determine their own tobacco control laws.