Written by the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i's Youth Council

Hawaiian POG. Blue Razz. Lush Ice. These are not flavors of candy or shave ice but e-cigarettes. Behind these sweet flavors promising notes of sweet and tangy flavors of guava, orange, and passion fruit or freshly sliced candied watermelons with a touch of refreshing menthol are the nicotine equivalent of two packs of cigarettes. 

Through these tasty flavors, Big Tobacco is hooking our keiki onto nicotine and it is working. In Hawai‘i, one in three high school students and one in five middle school students report current use of e-cigarettes. While the word “vaping” may sound like water vapor, it is anything but harmless. Not only do these products contain nicotine—a highly addictive substance that harms the developing brain, impacting memory, attention, concentration, cognition, and impulse control—but e-cigarettes also contain over 60 chemicals that are inhaled with every hit of an e-cigarette. Emerging research suggests links between e-cigarette use and cardiovascular disease, lung disease, and even more carcinogenic-related diseases.  

What can we do to reverse the youth vaping epidemic? We do not need to reinvent the wheel. We know what works to reduce youth tobacco use - we did it before with cigarettes. This year, the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai‘i's Youth Council is working to apply the same tobacco prevention and control policies to e-cigarettes, which include:

• Ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including the flavor menthol - these flavors entice youth, while the nicotine keeps them hooked for life.
• Restricting online sales – requiring face-to-face purchases makes it harder for underage youth to obtain these products via the internet.
• Applying a tobacco tax to e-cigarettes – it is the only tobacco product without one.
• Requiring licensing and permitting for tobacco retailers and wholesalers to help implement and enforce regulations.