Just wanted to remind you that starting THIS FRIDAY, Jan. 1, the legal smoking age in the state of Hawaii will rise from 18 to 21 years old. You can read all about it in our July cover story “Not Unless You’re 21” by Ashley Probst. Proponents of the law, according to our story, say it will really cut tobacco use:
According to studies done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 4.6 million students reported being current tobacco users between 2011 and 2014, and roughly half those students reported using electronic smoking devices. That means that one in four high school students and one in 13 middle school students are current users of tobacco products. Although the prevalence of tobacco use has been declining in Hawaii since 2000, the Hawaii Tobacco Prevention and Education Program (HTPEP) says the additional laws will help bring this rate down even more.
Of course, at least one young smoker, Dominick Haney, told Probst that he didn’t think the new law would make much difference:
“I’m just going to keep buying cigarettes and if they don’t let me buy cigarettes, then my family will just buy them for me and the police are going to start giving me tickets,” Haney said.
Well, starting this week we’ll all find out.
Photo: CDC/Wikimedia Commons
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