COM 0942.105 2006-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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DATE: March 10, 2008 TO: Council Chairman Pete Hoffmann & Council Members Hawaii County Council FR: Britni Doctor, REAL member RE: WRITTEN TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF BILL 224 (in its current form) Relating To Smoking in Certain Places in the County of Hawaii Second Reading, Public Hearing on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 I am a high school student at Pahoa High, and a member of REAL. REAL is a statewide youth led movement against the tobacco industry. We fight back in telling the tobacco industry to stop targeting us; youth. I strongly support Bill 224 and commend the County Council for moving this visionary measure forward in its current form. I want Hawaii County to be a clean and healthy place for my family and I to enjoy. Bill 224 will protect my right to breathe clean air at all County of Hawaii parks, beaches and recreational facilities. This measure will also reduce toxic litter, and send the message that tobacco use is not the norm in our community, so we stop sending keiki mixed messages about tobacco use. Children and families deserve clean, healthy places to enjoy outdoor activities. A lot of people leave their cigarette rubbish all over the place. My little nephew, and nieces are either stepping on the filth or trying to put it in their mouth. Also they try to imitate others like if they were smoking. We try to educate them on the negative effects and what smoking does, but if they see others doing it; they gain confusion. Despite progress made in successfully legislating indoor tobacco smoke in workplaces, our keiki continue to be exposed to the hazards of second-hand smoke in public places. Second- hand smoke is a Class-A carcinogen - same as asbestos - there are no safe levels of exposure. Visiting our parks, beaches and recreational facilities should be a pleasurable and safe experience for all. Discarded cigarettes and cigar butts at our parks and beaches are unsightly, unclean and particularly hazardous to small children and wildlife. A child putting a toxic cigarette butt into their mouth should not be part of that experience. Cigarettes and their packaging is number one litter item on our island. Cigarette butts are composed of cellulose acetate, a form of plastic, which is estimated to take up to 25 years to decompose on land and in the sand. It takes a cigarette butt 5 years to decompose in the ocean. Cigarette butts can pose a deadly threat to wildlife. Indigestible cigarette filters have been found in the stomachs of sea turtles, fish, birds, whales and other marine creatures who mistake them for food, swallowing harmful plastic and toxic chemicals. Last year, Kahalu'u Beach Park in Kona went smoke-free let's do the same for the rest of the island. Passing Bill 224 will make visiting all County parks and beaches a more pleasurable experience. It is the responsibility of government to protect the public's health, including while enjoying HawaiTs parks and beaches. Clean airis myright, and it must be protected. Pass Bill 224 in its current form.