Hawaii HB2079: Regulate vaping as tobacco, make it harder to access vaping products in the name of anti-smoking

[Bill Godshall]

Per patkin's comment above, the annual tobacco license fee for wholesalers and dealers in Hawaii is just $2.50/year, and the license fee for retailers is $20/year. SB 2497 would raise those fees to unspecified amounts.
Measure Status
SB2497.DOC

 

[Bill Godshall]

Hawaii bill (SB 2572) would tax “electronic smoking devices” at a yet-to-be-determined rate
Measure Status
SB2572.DOC

 

[HawaiiVPR]

Well, it always comes down to how much money the legislature can squeeze. Too bad people don't take notice of these things until its too late

 

[Bill Godshall]

Hawaii vapers and vendors defeated an e-cig tax bill last year, and a bill that would have banned e-cig use in workplaces.

I suspect that many HI legislators remember the e-cig tax battle last year (as it generated more calls/letters/testimony than any other bill introduced in HI last year), and may not want to revisit the controversy.

 

[Bill Godshall]

Hawaii bills (HB 2079, HB 2542, HB 2321, HB 2542, SB 2495) would all ban e-cig use where smoking is banned.
Measure Status

All of these House bills have been referred to the House Health Cmte.

 

[ddot48]

Sorry if this sounds silly, however if I vape at 0% nicotine... Would i be affected by any law is passed? They should determine if the substance or the action or both should be addressed.

After really thinking about it, e-cigs are no more then a power source heating a liquid into vapor. Isn't it the same principle at coffee (the heating of a liquid that also produces a vapor) which also contains a addictive substance? And it's being sold to minors...

I do agree with the limitations on where a person can vape, just out of courtesy for those who don't. However any additional taxes is not right (unless they do it for any item containing caffeine)

 

[rothenbj]

Sorry if this sounds silly, however if I vape at 0% nicotine... Would i be affected by any law is passed? They should determine if the substance or the action or both should be addressed.

After really thinking about it, e-cigs are no more then a power source heating a liquid into vapor. Isn't it the same principle at coffee (the heating of a liquid that also produces a vapor) which also contains a addictive substance? And it's being sold to minors...

I do agree with the limitations on where a person can vape, just out of courtesy for those who don't. However any additional taxes is not right (unless they do it for any item containing caffeine)

Yes, you should only be allowed to drink coffee where people smoke, out of courtesy for those that don't.

 

[DrMA]

Yes, you should only be allowed to drink coffee where people smoke, out of courtesy for those that don't.

Lol, the same goes for drinking water, as it looks suspiciously like vodka. For that matter, I propose renaming water as "non-alcoholic vodka" (NA vodka) and introduce restrictions on advertising and marketing NA vodka to children, as it could serve as a gateway to switching to the real thing.

 

[Bill Godshall]

ddot48 inquired

Sorry if this sounds silly, however if I vape at 0% nicotine... Would i be affected by any law is passed?

Depends upon the bill's definition of e-cig products.

Chicago's recent ban banned even the use of 0% nicotine e-cigs (as the prohibitionists correctly claimed that they couldn't tell which e-cigs contained nicotine and which don't). But most of the bans enacted so far only apply to nicotine containing e-cigs.

 

[ddot48]

So if it is the nicotine that is taxed, why aren't patches taxed?

 

[pamdis]

So if it is the nicotine that is taxed, why aren't patches taxed?

Because they are an FDA approved "safe and effective" medicinal treatment for smoking.

 

[ddot48]

Because they are an FDA approved "safe and effective" medicinal treatment for smoking.

FDA "Safe and Effective". I'm thinking the FDA should acknowledge vaping as a safe and effective to quit smoking. I did it. So now I'm just vaping 0%.

 

[HawaiiVPR]

So if it is the nicotine that is taxed, why aren't patches taxed?

I guess exemptions/privileges are given to the bigger lobbying groups.

Now that you can see a clear pattern of diminishing tax revenue from cigarettes, the squeeze is on. Our lawmakers will make a big effort to find a way to make up for that via the e-cig industry. Fortunately, I believe the vaping community has a large majority of pretty intelligent people, so no matter what laws are passed or taxes imposed, I don't think it going to pose much of a problem for us to get around their attempts to cash in or impose controls. A hassle and waste of time, yes, but so is everything else that people enjoy nowadays that is under the radar of lawmakers.

 

[rothenbj]

So if it is the nicotine that is taxed, why aren't patches taxed?

NRT products are pharma products thus no tax.