Stop Big Tobacco from targeting Hawai'i keiki

"Tobacco Money Stops Here" Pledge

In Hawai'i, the tobacco companies (including e-cigarette companies) have spent nearly $350,000 since 2014 on campaign contributions to block policies that would reduce tobacco use. Their business model is simple. The more people use tobacco products, the more money they make. Spending money to influence elections and legislation serves only one purpose — to prevent policies from passing that will result in fewer people using tobacco products. They don't care who dies from using their products, so long as they keep smoking. The tobacco industry spends over $22 million on marketing every year in Hawai'i to addict new customers — primarily keiki — and then spends whatever it takes to make sure no policies can pass that would reduce the number of smokers in our state.

We asked candidates and incumbents in the 2024 election to reject or return campaign contributions from any tobacco company from the time of the last pledge in 2022 until now. This means they rejected campaign contributions from any tobacco company including, but not limited to Altria Client Services Inc. and its affiliates; Cigar Association of America; Juul Labs, Volcano E-Cigarette Company and RAI Services Company and its affiliates.

Please thank these 2024 Elected Officials for taking the pledge:

Senator Dru Mamo Kanuha
Senator Angus McKelvey
Senator Stanley Chang
Senator Karl Rhoads
Senator Brandon Elefante
Senator Mike Gabbard
Senator Brenton Awa
Senator Chris Lee
Representative Sue Lee Loy
Representative Jeanné Kapela

Representative Kim Coco Iwamoto
Representative Ikaika Hussey
Representative Kirstin Kahaloa
Representative Nicole Lowen
Representative David Tarnas
Representative Terez Amato
Representative Mahina Poepoe
Representative Elle Cochran
Representative Luke Evslin
Representative Tina Grandinetti
Representative Andrew Takuya Garrett

Representative Adrian Tam
Representative Shirley Ann Templo
Representative Cory Chun
Representative Trish La Chica
Representative Elijah Pierick
Representative Diamond Garcia
Representative Darius Kila
Representative Amy Perruso
Representative Scot Matayoshi
Representative Lisa Marten

Send a note of gratitude to our Senators & Representatives who have taken a stand to protect our keiki.

2025 Legislative Priorities

This year, we urge our state legislators to join us to achieve the following goals:

  1. Eliminate the sale of flavored tobacco products, including menthol.
  2. Return local control to the counties so they can protect our kids.
  3. Stop the influence of Big Tobacco by saying "NO" to campaign contributions from tobacco companies.

Our Counties Are Ready to Protect Our Kids

In October 2023, the City & County of Honolulu passed Bill 46 to end the sale of flavored tobacco on Oahu. In January 2024, the Hawaiʻi County Council also passed a similar bill to stop the sale of flavored tobacco on the Big Island. In December 2024, the Maui County Council also passed a bill to stop the sale of flavored tobacco for all of Maui County (Maui, Lana'i and Molokai).

However, these laws cannot be implemented yet because the power to regulate tobacco currently rests with the state.

In 2018, the state took over the power to regulate tobacco products, but has not been able to pass legislation that would end the sale of flavored tobacco. We urge our state lawmakers to restore the power to the counties to regulate tobacco so that these laws can be activated as soon as possible. Maui County, the City & County of Honolulu and Hawai'i County are ready and waiting for the power to protect their keiki.


Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed Bill 46 on Oct 20, 2023 with members of the Coalition for A Tobacco-Free Hawaii's Youth Council .


Hawai'i County Mayor Mitch Roth signed Bill 102 on Jan 24, 2024, surrounded by youth from various schools across the Big Island.


Members from the Maui Chapter of the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai'i testified before the Maui County Council on Nov 18, 2024.

Targeted Communities

Tobacco companies continue to aggressively market menthol-flavored cigarettes to kids, Native Hawaiians and LGBTQ+ folks, as they have for decades. Youth smokers are more likely to use menthol cigarettes than any other age group. Menthol cigarettes pose a tremendous public health threat — they make it easier to start and harder to quit.

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Egregious Flavors

There are thousands of e-cigarette flavors and over 200 cigar flavors. Flavors like Mauna Dew, Mango Mania, Lilikoi, Luau Punch, POG, and Cool Mint are still readily available, clearly targeting our kids. Nearly 90% of youth e-cigarette users report using flavored products.

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A Youth Epidemic

Flavored products, especially Juul, fueled a youth e-cigarette epidemic over the last decade. Today, over 1.6 million kids nationally use e-cigarettes. In Hawai'i, 13.2% of high school students are current e-cigarette users. Kids are not just experimenting, but becoming addicted to these sweet, nicotine-loaded products. Many e-cigarettes can contain as much or more nicotine as 200 cigarettes.

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About the Campaign

There's a public health emergency unfolding right before our eyes — and the cause couldn't be clearer.

The tobacco companies are using flavored products to hook kids — and it's working. Flavored tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes, have addicted a new generation of kids and threaten to reverse the decades-long progress Hawai'i has made in reducing youth tobacco use. Eight out of ten kids who have used tobacco started with a flavored product.

Hawai'i can protect kids by ending the sale of all flavored tobacco products, one of the most promising ways to prevent the industry from addicting our kids.