Stop e-cigarette use among kids

The use of aerosol mist-producing e-cigarettes is rising in the islands, particularly among young people. And health officials are rightly worried that the e-cig habit, known as vaping, is leading youth down a nicotine- addiction path to tobacco use — the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.

At the federal level, regulation now groups e-cigs, which contain no tobacco but can serve as a liquid nicotine delivery system, with tobacco products. Hawaii lawmakers should follow suit as currently there’s little state regulation and no consumer-related tax tied to electronic smoking devices.

Anti-smoking advocates are seeing progress in an ongoing push at the state Capitol for tougher standards, including a measure that would set the highest tax in the nation on both cigarettes and e-cigs. The proposed levy of $4.50 per cigarette pack (up from $3.20) would move Hawaii ahead of Connecticut and New York, where the rate is $4.35, and far beyond the national average of $1.70.

The hefty tax would help discourage use among youth. Another worthy deterrent picking up support is a proposal to toughen up University of Hawaii smoking- related policies. Senate Bill 134 would require all 10 campuses to be tobacco-free, banning the use of cigars, chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes. Roughly 1,800 university campuses nationwide have similar policies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now ranks e-cigs as the most commonly used nicotine- delivery product among U.S. youth, with minors more likely than adults to use the devices. Key to youth lure: fragrant candy-like vaping liquid. While ingredients vary, a common mix includes propylene glycol, glycerin, water, nicotine and flavorings. A battery- powered device heats the liquid into a vapor that’s inhaled.

According to the state Department of Health, in 2017 about 10,700 — or 1 in 4 of our high school teens — and 4,400, or 1 in 5 middle schoolers, reported using electronic vaping products. Given those alarming figures, lawmakers should also back Senate Bill 2304, which would ban the sale of tobacco and e-cig products at businesses within 500 feet of schools and certain public playgrounds.

E-cigarette advocates maintain that vaping is less harmful than cigarettes and can help people quit smoking tobacco products. And a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine agrees with that take. However, the report also warns that vaping is not necessarily “safe,” and notes that it put teens at a higher risk of trying cigarettes. What’s more, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved e-cigs for smoking cessation, so, technically, they do not fit in that category.

Hawaii already has tough laws on the books. Over the past few years, the Legislature has passed tobacco tax increases, measures requiring smoke-free beaches and parks, and raising the age for the sale of tobacco to 21. Still, while the age limit also applies to e-cigarette use, more needs to be done to discourage vaping among minors.

Earlier this month, officials citing worries about the effects of nicotine on schoolchildren also pointed out that Hawaii is seeing a significant drop in tobacco use. It’s estimated that the state has saved more than $1 billion in total heath care costs due to the reduction in smoking since 2000.

That represents reduced costs in the treatment of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and other chronic conditions known to be caused by the habit, which kills an estimated 1,400 adults each year. In 2000 about 1 in 5 adults across the state — or 19.9 percent of the population — were smokers. By 2016 that number decreased to 13.1 percent — roughly 1 in 10 adults.

For the sake of our keiki and general public health, Hawaii should not allow e-cigarette or tobacco interests to reverse those hard-fought gains.