Hawaii became the first U.S. state to raise the tobacco sale age to 21 when Governor David Ige signed the landmark legislation on June 19. The law, which will take effect Jan. 1, 2016, is part of the state’s effort to reduce smoking rates among young people and to make the next generation of Hawaiians tobacco-free.
Hawaii joins 68 cities and counties in eight states that have already raised the tobacco age of sale to 21. The California Senate recently approved similar legislation prohibiting the sale of tobacco products to those under the age of 21, and the legislation is now before the state’s General Assembly.
Tobacco use claims approximately 1,400 lives in Hawaii and costs $526 million in health care bills each year. Increasing the tobacco sale age to 21 is expected to reduce tobacco use among youth and young adults, decrease the number of smoking-related deaths, and keep tobacco products out of schools, where younger teens may obtain tobacco from older students. According to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, tobacco companies spend more than $27 million annually in Hawaii to market tobacco products, and 95 percent of current adult smokers began smoking before they turned 21.