HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0593.010 2022-2024 P/ PcHSW
Dill 102
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Date: November 30, 2023
To: Members of the Hawai'i County Council Policy Committee on Health,Safety,and Well-
Being
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Re: Support for Bill 102, Relatingto the Prohibition of Flavored Tobacco Products -_ -4-
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Hrg: Tuesday December 5, 2023 at 3:00pm Hawaii County Building in Hilo and
Videoconference
Aloha PolicyCommittee on Health,Safety, ,..
and Well-Being,
As a parent,community member and healthcare professional,I am writing in strong support
of Bill 102,which amends Chapter 14 of the Hawaii County Code by adding an article
relating to the prohibition of flavored tobacco products.
Hawaii county has played a leadership role in passing tobacco-related policies,including
smoke-free air laws and raising the age of tobacco purchase to 21 years (Tobacco 21),and
has an opportunity to do so again.
Nearly 40% of teens in Hawai`i County have tried e-cigarettes,surpassing state (32%) and
national (36%) levels.
Flavors in tobacco products are used to entice our youth,while the nicotine addicts them for
life. In 2020,8-in-10 youth who currently used e-cigarettes reported using a flavored
product,up from 7-in-10 a year earlier.
Ending the sale of flavored tobacco products will reduce the appeal of these products and
help protect our keiki from a lifetime of addiction to,and harms from,tobacco.
Menthol is just as,if not more,harmful than any other flavor in tobacco. Notorious for its
ability to mask the harshness of tobacco,menthol makes it easier to start and harder to quit.
If our aim is to protect our keiki and reduce the harms of tobacco in our community,we must
ban menthol as well as other flavors.
Ending the sale of all flavored tobacco will advance health equity. Disparities in tobacco use
are due to the tobacco industry's long history of marketing menthol cigarettes to youth and
people of color. In Hawaii, 78% of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander smokers use menthol
cigarettes. Mint and menthol-flavored e-cigarettes are the most popular flavors among youth.
The tobacco industry knows that in order to have customers for life they need to addict kids
to nicotine when they are young and entices them with flavored products. 85% of youth e-
cigarette users use flavored products.
Recognizing the impact of flavored products on tobacco use among their youth,more than
350 US localities now ban the sale of flavored tobacco products. Comm. No I nn
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Please take this opportunity to protect our keiki from the harms of tobacco use by prohibiting
flavored tobacco products.
I strongly support Bill 102, respectfully ask you to pass it out of committee.
Many thanks for your consideration,
Forrest Batz,PharmD
Keaau, HI