UH counts down to beginning of smoking ban

Question: Whatever happened to the proposed smoking ban at the University of Hawaii at Manoa?

Answer: After more than a year of discussions, preparations and delays, yet another start date is set for the smoking prohibition at UH’s flagship campus: Aug. 17.

A page on the school’s website features a countdown clock to the day.

Previously scheduled to take effect July 1, the smoking ban was pushed back so officials could have more time to prepare.

“We want to make sure we have the right messaging,” UH spokesman Dan Meisenzahl said. He added that the campus is a “ghost town” over the summer.

According to Meisenzahl, signs could be put up in areas where smoking is common, and people should receive emails explaining the new policy during the first week of the fall semester.

Meisenzahl said there are no plans to enforce the policy. “Nobody is going to be patrolling and handing out tickets,” he said.

Instead, he said, the policy is aimed at changing social norms. “If you were to light up a cigarette in a theater 40 years ago, no one would have thought anything of it,” Meisenzahl said.

Each campus in the UH system sets its own policy on smoking. Meisenzahl described the policies as “living, breathing things” that can be adjusted and amended as time goes by.

In October 2014, the UH Board of Regents directed chancellors at each of the system’s 10 campuses to work with the community to either prohibit smoking in selected areas or ban it on the entire campus. Meisenzahl said that the response among most on-campus smokers was that they had expected a call for ban.

Last month, Hawaii became the first state to raise the minimum age for tobacco use to 21 from 18. The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, prohibits cigarettes and other tobacco products and electronic smoking devices — or e-cigarettes — being sold to, or purchased, possessed or used by anyone under age 21.

The UH-Manoa smoking ban does not cover electronic cigarettes, Meisenzahl said.

Another new law, which took effect July 1, bans smoking and use of electronic cigarettes in all Hawaii state parks.

The use of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes is banned at all parks, including beaches, picnic and camping areas, trails and roadways.

The 50 parks within Hawaii’s State Park system encompass 30,000 acres on five major islands.

Department of Land and Natural Resources chairwoman Suzanne Case said: “Protecting these areas from danger of wildfire that could affect native and endangered species, reducing trash and pollution, and ensuring the health of all members of the public while enjoying the outdoors is a significant benefit we can anticipate.”

DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers may cite violators. Penalties are $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second offense and $500 for subsequent offenses.

This update was written by Mathew Ursua. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To …” by writing Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.