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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> March 11, 2008 <br /> <br /> TO: Council Chairman Pete Hoffmann & Council Members <br /> Hawaii County Council <br /> <br /> FR: Erin Moncada, Tobacco-Free Big Island Coalition Member <br /> <br /> RE: WRITTEN TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF BILL 224, <br /> Relating To Smoking in Certain Places in the County of Hawaii <br /> Second Reading, Public Hearing on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 <br /> <br /> My name is Erin Moncada, and as a member of the Tobacco-Free Big Island Coalition, I <br /> commend the Hawaii County Council for its visionary support of Bill 224, which would <br /> make all County of Hawaii parks and beaches smoke-free, reduce toxic litter, and send <br /> the message that tobacco use is not the social norm in our community. <br /> <br /> I am a resident of Hawaii Island, and I am a survivor of breast cancer who lost her <br /> mother to breast cancer and her "second parents" - stepfather and stepmother - to lung <br /> cancer. When I visit our parks and beaches with my family, I have strong personal and <br /> professional reasons to appreciate and support smoke-free environments. <br /> <br /> The incidence of cancer in Hawaii, and deaths from cancer in Hawaii, are highest <br /> among Native Hawaiians, Filipinos and Hispanics. Lung cancer, caused primarily by <br /> smoking, leads to more deaths each year in Hawai'i than do breast, prostate and colon <br /> cancer combined. Of special note is the disproportionate cancer burden borne by <br /> Hawaiian males, whose mortality rates from lung cancer are significantly higher than <br /> males or females of other ethnic groups. <br /> <br /> Simply not smoking tobacco reduces a person's risk of cancer by one-third. When adults <br /> do not smoke in places frequented by children, such as beaches and parks, it serves as a <br /> powerful reminder that smoking is not "adult behavior" to emulate. Rather, children see <br /> that smoking is not associated with healthy outdoor activities or love of the aina. <br /> <br /> By passing Bill 224, the Hawaii County Council demonstrates our deep aloha for our <br /> keiki. Bill 224 will effectively provide a clean and healthy environment for Hawai'i's <br /> keiki, ohana, visitors and wildlife, making visiting all County parks and beaches a more <br /> enjoyable experience. Please accept this as written testimony in support of this bill. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Erin Moncada <br /> 200 Kanoelehua Ave. #228 <br /> 333-5829 <br />