HCR46.DOC

WHEREAS, tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, causing more than 400,000 deaths and costing the United States approximately $157 billion each year; and

WHEREAS, more than 154,000 adults in Hawaii currently smoke, leading to the deaths of at least 1,200 adults every year; and

WHEREAS, illness and death directly related to tobacco consumption cost Hawaii at least $640 million per year; and

WHEREAS, tobacco companies sell products that are addictive and inherently dangerous, causing many different types of cancer, heart disease, and other serious illnesses; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii has a substantial interest in reducing the number of individuals of all ages who use cigarettes and other tobacco products, and a particular interest in protecting adolescents from tobacco dependence and the illnesses and premature death associated with tobacco use; and

WHEREAS, most Americans who use tobacco products as teenagers become addicted to those products before reaching the age of 18 and remain addicted for approximately 20 years; and

WHEREAS, three-quarters of adult tobacco users report that their first experimentation with tobacco was between the ages of 11 and 17 years old; and
WHEREAS, several studies have found nicotine to be addictive in ways similar to heroin, cocaine, and alcohol. Of all addictive behaviors, cigarette smoking is the one most likely to become established during adolescence; and

WHEREAS, the most heavily advertised cigarette brands in Hawaii are the same as those most frequently smoked by Hawaii middle and high school youth; and

WHEREAS, the display of tobacco products plays a crucial role in the decision of individuals, and adolescents in particular, to begin using tobacco products; and

WHEREAS, tobacco companies recognize the importance of tobacco product displays in increasing product sales and therefore, compensate tobacco retailers for prominent display locations; and

WHEREAS, a recent survey of Hawaii retail establishments found that 97 percent of stores surveyed displayed tobacco products at the point-of-sale and 62 percent had tobacco products at the eye-level of children; and

WHEREAS, prior efforts to limit tobacco use, while effective at limiting the areas where individuals can smoke and providing effective cessation opportunities, have not precluded the need for further efforts to reduce tobacco use by adolescents since at least 6.8 percent of youth between the ages of 12 to 17 years old still smoke in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, eliminating tobacco products and advertisements at the point-of-sale and in storefronts will reduce tobacco use, including tobacco use by adolescents; and

WHEREAS, nations which have limited the display of tobacco products have seen encouraging results: in Ireland, the ability of teens to recall tobacco displays at retail locations dropped from 81 to 22 percent almost immediately after enactment; and

WHEREAS, limiting the display of tobacco products in a retail environment has not been shown to lead to a loss of business; and

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii desires to reduce tobacco use and limit the public health consequences of tobacco use among youth and adolescents as well as adults; and

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that the State of Hawaii is urged to adopt policies that limit the impact of tobacco marketing and advertising on its people; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health and Attorney General.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Urging policies on sale and display of tobacco

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	46
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII