HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0593.019 2022-2024 !Lw
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From: Matthew King • Q
Sent: Tuesday, December 05, 2023 8:43 AM L)
To: Council Testimony • --�
Subject: Written Testimony .�.
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Aloha e Hawaii County Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-Being: ,401
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I am a Vice Principal in the Kealakehe Complex of Kailua-Kona. Our teens and community face a drug epidemic,which
includes nicotine.At the school level, we have 11 and 12 year old students who enter our school already addicted to
vaping nicotine products.
Please work to ban the sale of vapes and vape products.
Some facts I am sure you are aware of include: •
• 39.7%of teens in Hawaii County tried e-cigarettes, surpassing the Hawai'i (32.4%) and national (36.2%) results.
• Flavors in tobacco products entice youth, while the nicotine keeps them hooked for life. In 2020, 8 in 10 youth
who currently use e-cigarettes reported using a flavored product, up from 7 in 10 in 2019 (National Youth
Tobacco Survey). Ending the sale of flavored tobacco products will reduce the appeal of these products and
protect our keiki from a lifetime of addiction.
• 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 burden of tobacco in our communities, we must include menthol.
• Ending the sale of all flavored tobacco will advance health equity—disparities in tobacco use are due to the
tobacco industry's history of marketing menthol cigarettes to youth and people of color. In Hawai'i, 78%of
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander smokers use menthol cigarettes (Hawai`i BRFSS, 2008). Mint and menthol-
flavored e-cigarettes are one of the most popular flavors among youth.
• Flavored products are driving this epidemic, where 85%of youth e-cigarette users use flavored products.
• Big Tobacco knows that in order to have customers for life,they need to addict kids to nicotine when they are
young.
Mahalo nui loa for your consideration,
Matthew King
� � Pronouns I use:he/him/his
°4� j° Vice Principal,Kealakehe Intermediate School
(808)313-3060 I www.kishawks.org
Matthew.King@k12.hi.us
74-5062 Onipaa St,Kailua-Kona,HI 96740
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Comm. No. g3. I"t
Ref. To: l I t I EV
1 Ref. Date °'f C m 5 2023