Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Thursday, January 25, 2018
New bills could make life difficult for Hawaii vapers
By Selected News Articles @ 3:52 AM :: 5676 Views :: Health Care, Small Business

New bills could make life difficult for Hawaii vapers

by Fergus Mason, Vaping Post, January 24, 2018

Last Friday, Hawaii’s state senate introduced a bill that threatens to make it much harder to open a new vape shop. Now it’s emerged that another bill put forward at the same time could ban all online sales of vapor products. If these two initiatives become law it’s going to be much harder for residents of the isolated state to obtain safer alternatives to tobacco – and the effect on the smoking rate is predictable.

The first bill, SB2304, was proposed by a group of six state senators. Its stated aim is to prevent young people taking up smoking by banning any “specialty tobacco shop” from opening within 750 feet of schools, parks or public housing. Anyone caught violating the law would face a $500 fine on the first day the offence was committed, with the penalty potentially rising to $2,000 for each subsequent day.

As well as this move against brick and mortar stores there’s a second prong to the state senate’s attack. Another bill, SB2654, targets online sales. It’s a follow-up to a bill that was floated in the state House last session, and its goal is to end online tobacco sales. Technically it makes it illegal to ship tobacco products to anyone who isn’t involved in the sale or distribution of tobacco; this obviously bans any sale to a private individual.

What matters for vapers is that SB2654 also adds e-liquid to the state’s definition of “tobacco product. The result is that both bills’ provisions would automatically affect vapor products too. Vape shops will be counted as “specialty tobacco shops”, while it will also become impossible to order e-liquid online from Hawaii-based retailers.

The problem is that, in urban areas, there isn’t a lot of space that’s more than 750 feet from a school, park or public housing complex. SB2304 isn’t quite a ban on new vape shops, but it’s not far off it – and, with online sales banned too, it’s going to be a lot harder for Hawaiians to get hold of harm reduction products from now on.

---30---

SB2654: Text, Status

SB2304: Text, Status

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT