Flavored Tobacco Ban Dies in Senate

By not scheduling a hearing, lawmakers in Hawaii have killed a bill proposing to ban flavored vaping and other tobacco products in the state.

Legislators had until Thursday to schedule the hearing for H.B. 551; however, the legislation failed to get voted out of a Hawaii Senate committee, meaning the bill will not move forward, according to KITV.

The bill passed the House earlier this month.

If passed, H.B. 551 would have banned the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products effective Jan. 1, 2024.

Retailers caught violating the standard would have been fined at least $100 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for subsequent violations.

This is the latest attempt at banning flavored tobacco sales in Hawaii. Last year, the Hawaii legislature passed a flavor ban bill, but it was vetoed by the governor.

While H.B. 551 will not move forward, there’s another bill, S.B. 1447, that would remove Hawaii’s existing preemption clause regarding tobacco regulations.

This would allow counties to enact stricter laws than the state law, a way for bans on the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products to begin.

S.B. 1447 has already passed the Hawaii Senate and is continuing to move forward in the Hawaii House of Representatives.