Report Card
Enforcement
Hawaii’s statewide Tobacco Retail License fee of $20 is not adequate to fund enforcement. Although the Department of Health Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division is the designated agency to conduct compliance checks, they work in partnership with the local police departments which is not recommended for tobacco control compliance. There are no mandated compliance checks in Hawaii state law, but the counties conduct monthly checks. Penalty is on the “Person” which can make it difficult to keep retailer’s accountable, plus even with a strong penalty fine schedule, suspension and revocation of the license is not included.
Tobacco Retail License
- Comprehensive statewide Tobacco Retail License covering all tobacco products
- Multiple Tobacco Retail Licenses that cover all tobacco products
- Tobacco Retail License only covers cigarettes and NOT e-cigarettes
- No statewide Tobacco Retail License
Preemption
- No preemption
- Preempted from raising the sales age
- Preempted from creating a Tobacco Retail License
All public health is local. Often Big Tobacco works to add preemption to statewide tobacco control bills so cities and counties are unable to enact laws that better protect the public.
High School Vaping Rate
30.6%
of High School Seniors have vaped in the past 30 days
Tobacco Prevention vs. Industry Marketing
$1 : $3
Hawaii spends $7.4M in tobacco prevention efforts and the tobacco industry spends $23.9M in marketing. For every $1 spent in prevention, Big Tobacco spends $3 in marketing.
Tax per pack of cigarettes
$3.20
E-cigarette tax: $0.00
State Rank: 6
Higher tobacco taxes are associated with decreases in tobacco use and increases in cessation and lower youth initiation.
Annual State Healthcare Costs due to Tobacco Use
$526 million
Information updated Nov 2020. Please contact megan.boelter@tobacco21.org if you have suggested updates.