If you’re a driver in Hawaii, whether a resident enjoying the island lifestyle or a visitor cruising the scenic highways, you’ve likely wondered about the specific rules of the road regarding smoking and vaping. Can you use your vape pen during your commute in Honolulu? Is it legal to light up a cigarette on the Road to Hana? This guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of Hawaii’s laws on vaping and smoking behind the wheel.
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A comprehensive guide to Hawaii’s strict 2025 vaping regulations, including age 21 law, flavor ban proposals, taxation, public use prohibitions, and recent enforcement actions.
Read moreHawaii health advocates and lawmakers are once again pushing for legislation to ban the sale of flavored nicotine and vape products in an effort to protect the state’s youth from the harmful effects of these substances. The Keiki Caucus is backing House Bill 756, which would prohibit the sale of flavored nicotine products and the mislabeling of e-liquids as nicotine-free. Additionally, the Hawaii State Association of Counties supports House Bill 380, which would restore the authority of counties to adopt their own laws regulating the sales of tobacco products and vapes.
Read moreHawaii could become the first U.S. state to set nicotine limits for tobacco products under a new bill introduced in the state legislature. Sen. Chris Lee, D-Kailua, proposed S.B. 1165 last Friday, just days after the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced it was considering a similar nationwide standard.
Read moreHonolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed a measure prohibiting the sale of flavored tobacco products on Oahu. This move comes as a response to the growing concern over the vaping epidemic among youth.
Read moreThe Hawaii Senate has failed to advance S.B. 148, a bill that would have implemented a generational tobacco ban in the state. The proposed legislation sought to prohibit anyone born after January 1, 2003, from possessing, purchasing, or using tobacco or vaping products. As a result, the bill will not become law during the current legislative session, which is set to conclude on May 4, 2023.
Read moreHawaii’s state legislators recently passed a “tax parity” law that would subject vaping products to the same tax rate as combustible cigarettes. If Governor Josh Green signs the bill into law, vaping products would incur a 70 percent wholesale tax, making it one of the highest in the country.
Read moreLawmakers in Hawaii have proposed a 70% tax on e-cigarettes and e-liquid products, in a bid to tackle youth addiction to the devices. Currently, e-cigarettes in Hawaii carry a general excise tax ranging from 4.1% to 4.7%, but combustible cigarettes attract additional taxes. Rep. Scot Matayoshi, a leading sponsor of the bill, said he hoped the tax would reduce the negative health effects of nicotine addiction. However, opponents argue that raising prices could encourage smokers to stick to combustible products. A representative of e-cigarette seller VOLCANO called the 70% tax an “industry killer”.
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