ACTION ALERT:
PROTECTING THE TOBACCO PREVENTION AND CONTROL TRUST FUND
For over 20 years, Hawaii’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Trust Fund has reduced the burden of tobacco in our state, saving both lives and healthcare costs. Since its inception, the state has achieved significant declines in smoking rates for both adults and youth smoking rates.
Despite this progress, the toll of tobacco is substantial, and there is still work to be done. Tobacco use is still the leading cause of preventable death and disease, claiming 1,400 lives each year and creating $526 million in annual healthcare costs in Hawai‘i. E-cigarette use among youth has reached epidemic levels and erased decades of progress. Continued investment in tobacco prevention and control is needed to reverse this alarming trend and protect public health.
HB 1296 will repeal the tobacco prevention and control trust fund. Please OPPOSE this bill, which jeopardizes decades of progress in tobacco prevention and control efforts at a time it is needed the most.
Take Action Now:
How to Submit Testimony
- Log-in/make an account on the Capitol website.
- Go to the bill page for HB 1296 and click the “Submit Testimony” button.
- Write your testimony on why you OPPOSE HB 1296 (it doesn’t need to be long!).
- Submit your testimony by Monday, March 1 at 1:00 PM.
If you plan to testify remotely, you can find additional information here.
Hearing Information
House Committee on Finance
Tuesday, March 2 at 1:00 PM
Hearing Notice
Watch the hearing live on the House YouTube page.
Please submit your testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing for consideration.
Talking Points:
- The Trust Fund’s purpose is to reduce cigarette smoking and tobacco use among youth and adults through education, prevention, and helping people quit smoking and tobacco. This includes:
- Prevention work across the state on the dangers of tobacco, including e-cigarettes;
- Community cessation services on all islands except Ni‘ihau to help smokers quit; and
- Hawai‘i Tobacco Quitline, which provides free and confidential counseling and support services to help people become tobacco-free.
- The tobacco industry spends $26.1 million in marketing in Hawai‘i annually, but the state spends only $7.9 million on tobacco prevention and control, or only 58% of the total CDC recommended amount.
- Youth cigarette smoking rates have decreased dramatically since the inception of the trust fund: In 1999, 27.9% of Hawai‘i high schoolers smoked cigarettes, compared to 5.3% in 2019.
- Since 2000, Hawai‘i has saved over $1 billion dollars in healthcare costs through significant reductions in smoking among youth, adults, and pregnant women. For every $1 spent on tobacco prevention, Hawai‘i saves $6.64 in direct healthcare costs.
- There is still work to be done: Hawai‘i is in the midst of a youth vaping epidemic, with one in three high school students and one in five middle school students report “current use” of e-cigarettes.
- We understand the dire fiscal situation the state is in, however tobacco prevention and control funding is critical to saving lives and healthcare costs.
- COVID-19 is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the lungs, making tobacco use especially concerning. Teens and young adults that use e-cigarettes had a five to seven times greater chance of being diagnosed with COVID-19 than those that did not use e-cigarettes.