HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0447.026 2012-2014 COUNTY CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I
RECEIVED ,p
Dear Breda Ford and the county council members: Time a,m By p(/►
Date »_yfl_i 3
My name is John Harrington but most people call me Jack, I am a senior at Konawaena
high school and I support the bill to raise the age of the sale of tobacco to the age of 21.
I support the raising of the age of tobacco sales to 21 because this will be able to deter
people from starting in the first place. It is common knowledge that tobacco is bad for you since
there are countless studies, personal stories, and mortality rate is high for tobacco user but people
still use it. This may be the fact that tobacco companies have spent millions on just advertising
for this product, strategically placing it for adults and kids alike to see in plain sight. By placing
it in plain sight and next to things that you associate as good or grown up it makes a mental
image that smoking is a cool thing starting the mind set in even the youngest of kids.
Tobacco is also advertised by just the people who use it, some young adults even giving
it to their younger brother or sister who share it among their friends starting the addiction early
on. If the age is raised young adults will be less likely to be around to offer this product to people
who cannot legally buy it. Age 18-21 is the experimental age with all the new found freedoms
and some even try smoking. Smoking from a young age has been found to cut an average of
twenty five years off the life expectancy of most people, so if you start at 21 and would normally
live to 80 years in the county of Hawaii you may only live to age of 55 which is really young for
most people.
The people who oppose this bill says that this is not our business , but it is because the
people that this bill would save the people that may be the future leaders , doctors that you may
be going to and people that we may one day call heroes. I have heard people say that it is a loss
in tax revenue for our county, with a pack of cigarettes costing about 9.75$ and quite a chunk
being taxes it would have an impact on our economy. But think on what else they could be using
with that money on locally grown stuff that promotes a self-sustained Hawaii economy. I have
also heard that it is not right that we can send people to war and willing to make the greatest
sacrifice but would not be able to smoke a pack of cigarette is ridiculous to hear. I have heard
many times that you are as likely to die in battle and while you are here and since there has not
been a draft since 1973 people going to war have all been volunteer so it is their choice.
This is why I support the bill to rage the age of tobacco sales to the age 21 and I hope that
I have helped you believe the same.
Comm. No. 441 7
Ref. To: f COVI //
Ref. Date NOV2a Z013