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The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawai'i hopes to convince owners of residential rental and condominium buildings to prohibit smoking inside private living areas.
The nonprofit group argues second-hand smoke emanating from the privacy of one unit may affect others when people live in close quarters.
The state already bans smoking in restaurants, bars and within 20 feet of the entrances or windows of smoke-free buildings.
"As laws like this become the norm, I think people are going to start thinking about how, about where we live," said Hye-ryeon Lee, chairwoman of Tobacco-Free Hawai'i and a University of Hawai'i speech professor.
Smoke-free advocates say residential smoking bans deliver financial benefits to property owners through lower insurance costs because of reduced fire risk, reduced cleaning expenses and fewer problems between neighbors.
But advocates for smokers' rights fume
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Native residents of Hawaii and New Zealand have much higher mortality rates for many cancers than the European peoples who live there. Education on screening programmes, diet, and smoking could help tackle this. The issues are discussed in the first of a series of Reviews on worldwide cancer disparities in the May issue of The Lancet Oncology. . . .
In terms of risk factors, MÄori people are more than twice as likely to be smokers than European New Zealanders, 50% more likely to be obese, and almost three-times as likely to be obese smokers. Native Hawaiians have only a slightly higher smoking incidence than European Hawaiians, but a significantly higher risk of cancer for the same smoking history, suggesting they are more susceptible to the carcinogenic properties of cigarette smoke. Limited tobacco legislation in developing countries means that many Pacific islands are among tobacco companies’ new targets . . .
The authors conclude: "The extent of the differences in outcome due to different extrinsic risk factors, biological factors, or health behaviours is unclear….Advances such as adjuvant chemotherapy for breast, bowel, and lung cancer have improved survival, but data on treatment by ethnicity are lacking, and such treatment might be unequally applied between ethnicities. Evidence exists for a benefit of culturally appropriate education on screening programmes, diet, and smoking, all of which could lower the cancer burden in Polynesian communities."
Smokers continued puffing away at select Hilo parks Saturday afternoon, the first weekend since tobacco use was outlawed at all Hawaii County-owned recreational facilities.
Smoking, along with alcohol and occasional drug use, was obvious during brief stops at Lincoln Park, Reed's Bay Beach Park and Leleiwi Beach Park.
"No make sense," Hilo's Gabe Lei, a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other, said as he and a group of friends, including children, watched the waves at Leleiwi Beach Park. "They have a no-drinking law (yet) people still drink, people still smoke. Not going to stop nothing." . . .
"Everybody still going to smoke on the beach," added another park user.
Doing that at a county park, gymnasium, golf course or other recreational facility could land offenders a $100 fine under a new law that took effect Tuesday night when the County Council overrode Mayor Harry Kim's veto of the legislation.
"That's my understanding," said Hilo Councilman J Yoshimoto, the bill's author, "that it's already in effect." County Clerk Casey Jarman later confirmed the bill is now law.
Big Island smokers are continuing to light up at beaches and public parks despite a new law that bans smoking at all county-owned recreational facilities.
Several people were seen smoking during recent visits to Lincoln Park, Reed's Bay Beach Park and Leleiwi Beach Park.
People were also smoking openly at the Lehua Jaycees Springfest Carnival held at the county's Hilo Civic Fairgrounds.
The Big Island has become the first county in the state to ban smoking at county parks and beaches.
Councilmembers approved a bill last month making beaches and parks smoke free.
It's now against the law to smoke in all county parks and beaches on the Big Island.
The smoking ban is also in effect at other outdoor recreation areas, such as the municipal golf course, rodeo arenas and Hilo Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
A measure banning smoking was vetoed by Mayor Harry Kim earlier this month.
But the Hawaii County Council voted 7-2 last night to override the veto.
NBC 4's Tom Brockman reported the latest from the Franklin County Courthouse at noon.
Attorneys representing the foundation filed a complaint in Franklin County Common Pleas Court Wednesday against Cordray to essentially try to stop the treasurer from taking the organization's monies for the state, Brockman reported.
All sides met Thursday morning in front of Judge David Fais.
Brockman said attorneys made a multi-faceted argument on why the legislation signed into law on Tuesday isn't legitimate.
Mayor Harry Kim has no intention of signing off on a bill approved by the Hawaii County Council recently that bans smoking at all county parks and recreation facilities.
The only question remaining is whether Kim will veto the bill or simply not sign off on it.
Kim said he has until Monday to make a decision on the bill and that he will not give it his stamp of approval via a signature.
With that in mind, the other two options for him include vetoing the bill or doing nothing.
By doing nothing, which not signing means the bill, the ban will go into effect, only without Kim's blessing.
Mayor Harry Kim says he will not sign off on a proposal to ban smoking at Big Island beach parks and recreation facilities.
Kim has until Monday to either veto the bill, which was approved by the Hawai'i County Council, or allow it to become law without his signature.
O'ahu's Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve and the Big Island's Kahalu'u Beach Park are already smoke-free, but the bill would be the first islandwide park smoking ban in the state.
A report by the state Department of Health maintains that it has not hurt Hawaii's visitor industry but has failed to address the bar owners' concerns. A more precise study is needed. . . .
A report prepared for the department by the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y., found that the food and beverage sector of Hawaii's tourism industry gained 212 more employees and 1,541 jobs since the law went into effect. It also said the state's overall visitor spending, including that by visitors from Japan, was comparable last year to the previous year, although declining slightly.
Unfortunately, the report does not include data from the Honolulu Liquor Commission because it did not fall within the time period needed to evaluate the law's effect. The Health Department should examine Liquor Commission data at the earliest opportunity to determine the ban's effect.
A controversial law that placed restrictions on smoking did not hurt Hawaii's economy in the first year, according to a report commissioned by the state Department of Health.
Critics of the law were not convinced.
The report, released yesterday, was prepared by Andrew Hyland and Cheryl Higbee of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y.
"We anticipated that, like other states where similar laws have been enacted, there would be no negative economic impact," said Hawaii Health Director Chiyome L. Fukino. "These findings have helped to confirm our original assumptions. Moving forward, the Department of Health will continue to assess visitor industry data to track changes."
Hawaii's visitor industry gained 212 more employees and 1,591 more jobs in the food and beverage sector since the law went into effect, the report said. Also, overall monthly visitor spending in Hawaii and monthly visitor spending by visitors from Japan has been comparable, the report said.
The Hawaii Smokers Alliance and other similar interest groups criticized the findings
The Hawaii Department of Health says the state's year-old anti-smoking law has not hurt the hospitality or tourism industries.
State health officials on Wednesday released the results of a $13,000 study by Andrew Hyland and Cheryl Higbee of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, N.Y. The institute has studied the economic impact of similar smoke-free workplace laws in other states including New York and Delaware.
Anti-smoking activists and supporters of the law have insisted that it can't be blamed for a declining economy. Those opposing the law have argued that it has drained Hawaii business owners of customers and profits and is directly responsible for a drop in visitor arrivals and spending.
UH officials say they did provide old coffee cans filled with sand for smokers to use.
"We've noticed though that these ash cans tend to get stolen on a regular basis for whatever reason," Gregg Takayama, University of Hawaii, said. "And so we try as much as possible to replace them as often as they're stolen. But they just don't keep up."
For now, the University hopes a special sidewalk cleaner it recently acquired will help.
"Rather than pushing them on, onto the grass or dirt, they'll actually pick them up and make it cleaner," Takayama said.
Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said he will not support legislation recently introduced at the House of Representatives that seeks to ban smoking in restaurants, bars, and workplaces in the Northern Marianas.
House Bill 16-47, sponsored by Rep. Justo S. Quitugua, proposes to make public places smoke-free. Exemptions include open-air bars, hotel rooms, and outdoor jobsites.
"I'm against that because you know I just came back from Honolulu last year and I noticed that the occupancy at the hotel I usually stay in has gone down dramatically because the Japanese will never stay there anymore; they don't allow people to smoke anymore at that hotel," the CNMI's chief executive said in an interview Friday.
It's been more than a year since Hawaii outlawed smoking in bars and restaurants.
But this year, some lawmakers plan to introduce a new bill that would make exceptions.
It will allow bar owners to pay a fee of one to three thousand dollars for a license allowing smoking.
The beauty of this bill is that those fees every year will go toward a public awareness campaign to increase organ donations in Hawaii.
Those in favor of the bill believe that, unless lawmakers push it through, Hawaii's bar and restaurant industry will suffer.
"There have been millions of dollars lost since the smoking ban we're shooting ourselves in the foot, it's despicable," said Kawika Crowley of the Hawaii Smokers Alliance.