Hawaii Could Be The First State To Ban Cigarettes
As more and more states are starting to legalize recreational marijuana, Hawaii lawmakers are looking to ban cigarettes.
To accomplish the cigarette ban, Hawaii is taking a five-year approach. Lawmakers have proposed to slowly raise the minimum smoking age starting next year. Their plan is to make the minimum age to purchase cigarettes 30 in 2020. In 2021, the age will change to 40 and then 50 in 2022. By 2023, you will have to be 60 years of age to purchase a pack of smokes. If that wasn't enough, in 2024, you will have to prove that you are 100-years-old in order to buy cigarettes.
To me, that just seems like a dumb, and somewhat insulting, plan to ban cigarettes. If you're going to ban them, just ban them and deal with the aftermath. I think this is just going to piss people off for a longer period of time. However, 50 and 60-year-olds could make some serious side cash buying for these "minors" who no longer can get them.
This new idea would only apply to cigarettes, not e-cigarettes, cigars, or chewing tobacco.
Good luck with that, Hawaii.
Source: WNEM TV 5