What Are Endgame Policies, and Is the Youth Council Ready to Pursue One in Hawaiʻi?

After a major accomplishment last legislative session, passing a bill to end the sale of disposable e-cigarettes, Hawai‘i’s youth made a lasting impact. This new law will limit youth access to e-cigarette products that can hook them to nicotine for life, and expose them to harmful chemicals and carcinogens. With that success behind them, what comes next?
​
Despite the Youth Council’s win, Big Tobacco won’t concede. The industry is already pushing its next generation of products, many growing in popularity, like nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products, alongside a renewed marketing of combustible cigarettes. In response, the youth aren’t slowing down either.
​
Over the past couple of months, Youth Council members have been researching their next policy move, and in the process became familiar with tobacco “endgame” strategies — policies designed to dramatically reduce tobacco use within a given space, with the goal of eliminating it. Examples include limiting the number of tobacco retail licenses, capping nicotine strength in products, and a generational tobacco ban.
​
The generational tobacco ban caught their attention. Such a policy would prohibit retailers from selling — and individuals from buying — tobacco products if the person was born after a certain date. Written so that anyone 21 or younger today would never be legally allowed to purchase tobacco, it would gradually phase out commercial tobacco use, ultimately working toward a nicotine-free generation.
​
So would a policy like this be feasible in Hawaiʻi? Our state is no rookie when it comes to leading on tobacco policy. In 2016, Hawaiʻi became the first state in the nation to raise the tobacco sales age from 18 to 21, setting off a domino effect that became federal law for all 50 states in 2019. And just this past year, Hawaiʻi became the first state to end the sale of disposable e-cigarettes. That track record of pioneering tobacco prevention makes the case for feasibility stronger.
​
Generational bans are gaining traction globally, too. This year, the United Kingdom passed a generational ban that, starting January 1, 2027, will prohibit the sale of tobacco to anyone born after January 1, 2009. The Maldives has had a generational tobacco ban since 2025, and several municipalities in Massachusetts have adopted similar policies.
​
This past August, the Youth Council met to discuss and select policy priorities for the 2027 legislative session, with tobacco endgame policies among the options. To better understand what these proposals would take, they invited State Representative Trish La Chica, a former tobacco-free advocate who knows the legislative landscape well, for a Q&A. She encouraged the youth to use their voices at the State Capitol on the measures that matter most to them. Asked specifically about a generational tobacco ban, Rep. La Chica called the idea bold and noted it could take time to build support, but with all hands on deck, she believed it was feasible.

There’s still important discussion ahead within the coalition about which endgame policies are right for Hawaiʻi, but the Youth Council is eager to get started. The question is whether that next step will be a generational tobacco ban or another bold solution. Hawaiʻi has a history of leading the nation in tobacco control, and the next generation is ready to carry that legacy forward.