HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0447.014 2012-2014 PiCOUNc1L
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From: Cecily Nago [cnago @msn.com]
Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 2013 7:00 AM 2013 NOV —5 AM 10: QS
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Support Bill 135--Raise the Age of Sale of Tobacco Products to 21
Dear Hawaii County Council Members,
I strongly support Bill 135, raising the age of sale of tobacco products to 21.
Tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and in
Hawaii, and costs our state over $336 million in healthcare expenditures every year. The
cost of tobacco is real: in lives cut short by cancer, cardiovascular disease, COPD and
other chronic lung diseases—for both the smoker and people exposed to secondhand smoke.
More than 1, 000 people die in Hawaii every year from tobacco use.
Most troubling is that nearly all smokers begin smoking regularly before they turn 21.
Tobacco companies heavily target kids and young adults with marketing and advertising.
This policy will also reduce access to tobacco for youth under 18—by keeping tobacco out
of our schools.
My parents both started smoking when they were young, and both were 2 pack a day smokers.
My mother contracted emphysema in her forties and my father had his first major heart
attack when he was 40. One of the first things my Dad asked for after his heart attack
was a cigarette.
I myself started when I was 15 years old, and have regretted that decision ever since.
Although I am now tobacco free, it took me 10 attempts to quit. It was one of the hardest
things that I have ever had to do.
Personally, I have 21 reasons why I sit before you asking for your support. My fourteen
year old granddaughter is the most important one of all.
Any effort to prevent tobacco use among young people is worthwhile—it will save lives.
Please support Bill 135.
Cecily Nago
235 Lama Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Comm. No. LT 7• )�n
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1 Ref. Date NOV 0 6 2013