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ASSOCIATION OF HAWAIIAN CIVIC CLUBS

A RESOLUTION

No. 2019 -49

URGING THE HAWAIʻI STATE LEGISLATURE TO END THE SALE OF FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND E-CIGARETTES

WHEREAS, tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States and in Hawaiʻi, where $526,000,000 in annual health care costs are directly attributed to tobacco use in the state; and

WHEREAS, while there has been a decline in the use of combustible cigarettes over the last decade, there has been an alarming increase in the use of electronic smoking devices (ESDs) or e-cigarettes by Hawaiʻi’s youth, reaching epidemic levels; and

WHEREAS, according to the State of Hawai‘i Department of Health, in 2017, 27 percent of middle school and 42 percent of public high school students reported trying e-cigarettes, with current use by county exceeding 30 percent on the islands of Hawaiʻi, Maui, and Kauaʻi; and

WHEREAS, these use rates are higher than the national average and demonstrate a disturbing trend of youth nicotine use and threaten the historic decline achieved in combustible cigarette use; and

WHEREAS, Native Hawaiian youth are at an increased risk of using an e-cigarette; and

WHEREAS, the national vaping crisis has confirmed more than 1,800 cases of lung injury associated with e-cigarettes and vaping products in 49 states and one territory, including 38 deaths prompting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to launch a criminal investigation into the possible causes; and

WHEREAS, the federal law, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, prohibited characterizing flavors, including fruit and candy flavorings, in cigarettes but did not ban menthol in cigarettes or the use of characterizing flavors in other tobacco products; and

WHEREAS, the tobacco industry and electronic smoking device industry have since significantly increased the introduction and marketing of flavored non-cigarette tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes, spending an estimated $26 million in marketing in Hawaiʻi each year; and

WHEREAS, the number of electronic cigarette flavors have skyrocketed in recent years, with more than 15,500 unique candy and local flavors designed to appeal to the State’s youth, such as cotton candy, chocolate, mint, Kona coffee, Maui Mango, Shaka strawberry, and Molokaʻi hot bread. Additionally, many of the packages are designed to look like popular kids candies, such as Jolly Ranchers and Sour Patch Kids; and

WHEREAS, in 2018, the U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams issued an advisory and call to action for all local and state government to enact policies on the regulation, sale, marketing, and access to flavors that would protect our children from a lifetime of nicotine addiction and associated health risks by immediately addressing the epidemic of youth e-cigarette use; and

WHEREAS, in 2019, several measures to regulate the sale of e-cigarettes and prohibit the sale of flavored tobacco products designed to hook kids were introduced at the Hawaiʻi State Legislature but failed to be enacted into law; and

WHEREAS, on October 7, 2019, the State of Hawai‘i Department of Health issued a health advisory update and recommendations on e-cigarettes and vaping for the public and called on the public to stop vaping; and

WHEREAS, the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs has a long-standing track record of and commitment to advancing the health of our living lāhui, with added emphasis on the health and safety of our keiki.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs at its 60th Annual Convention in Lahaina, Maui, in the malama of Welehu and the rising of Lāʻau Pau, this 16th day of November 2019, urging the Hawaiʻi State Legislature to end the sale of flavored tobacco products and e-cigarettes; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Hawaiʻi State Legislature take action during the 2020 Legislative Session and pass legislation to regulate e-cigarettes and remove all flavored tobacco products from the market to end the youth vaping crisis and reduce the negative health impact made by e-cigarettes and other emerging tobacco products; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the member clubs of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, along with all Native Hawaiian serving institutions, support the concerted efforts of efforts to raise awareness on this issue and reverse the devastating impact that vaping has created in our communities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs join the more than 150 organizations, schools, youth-serving groups, and elected officials that support legislation to end the sale of flavored tobacco products in the State of Hawai‘i; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a certified copy of this resolution be transmitted to the State of Hawai‘i Department of Health, the State of Hawai‘i Department of Education, the chair of the board of each Ali‘i Trust, as well as the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i, President of the State Senate, Speaker of the State House of Representatives, Chair of the State Senate subject matter committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the State House subject matter committee on Hawaiian Affairs, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and all County Mayors.

The undersigned hereby certifies that the foregoing Resolution was duly adopted in the malama of Welehu and the rising of Lāʻau Pau on the 16th day of November 2019, at the 60th Annual Convention of the Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs in Lahaina, Maui.

Hailama V. K. K. Farden, President