A Hawaii lawmaker has proposed a bill that would gradually raise the minimum smoking age to 100, which could effectively make Hawaii the first state to outlaw the sale of cigarettes.
“The state is obliged to protect the public’s health,” State House member Rep. Richard Creagan told the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
“We, as legislators, have a duty to do things to save people’s lives,” he said. “If we don’t ban cigarettes, we are killing people.”
The state’s House Health Committee is expected to hear the measure this week. The bill seeks to incrementally raise the age to legally purchase cigarettes each year, hiking it to 30 in 2020, 40 in 2021, 50 in 2022, 60 in 2023 and 100 in 2024. The minimum smoking age is currently 21.
