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Students rally against tobacco

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Students rally against tobacco
Photo courtesy of Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii

Nearly 100 youth, including students from Molokai High School and Seabury Hall, rallied at the State Capitol on Wednesday to urge lawmakers to take action against the tobacco industry. Each year, 1,400 people in Hawaii die from a tobacco-related illness, according to a news release Wednesday from the Hawaii Public Health Institute and the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii. Youth advocates have been updating a banner in front of the Capitol to reflect the current death toll, which stands at 284 since Jan. 1. The coalition's Youth Council is supporting several bills that they say would help end the youth vaping epidemic and reduce the toll of tobacco in Hawaii, including House Bill 551, which would end the sale of flavored tobacco. The Youth Council is also supporting House Bill 537 and Senate Bills 975 and 1147 that further regulate e-cigarettes through taxation, licensing and permitting for retailers, restricting online sales and allowing counties to pass their own regulations.

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