HONOLULU-
Thousands of signs posted everywhere in Hawaii make its new law clear: “Smoking Prohibited By Law.”
As many people across the country celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Great American Smokeout on Thursday, Hawaii became the 14th state to implement a comprehensive no-smoking law.
The Smoke-Free Hawaii Law bans smoking in all public places including restaurants, bowling alleys, malls and from curb to cabin at airports.
It also updates strict county no-smoking policies by making it illegal to light up in partially enclosed areas, bars and less than 20 feet from doorways and windows.
State officials say the law is aimed at protecting employees from breathing in secondhand smoke at the workplace, which ranges from offices to bars and even lifeguard stands.
Gov. Linda Lingle immediately took advantage of the now smoke-free Shell Bar at the Hilton Hawaiian Village to hold a press conference.
A former self-described “militant” smoker herself, Lingle said she understands the frustrations many current smokers will face trying to adapt to the fewer spots where smoking is legal.
“Those people that are smokers say they’re doing it because they want to, but the fact is they’re addicted and it’s a very strong addiction,” Lingle said.
Lingle said she’s already gotten negative responses from some smokers saying the government is infringing on their rights and that the state is trying to dictate how people live.
“We need to send a clear message that this is not about them, it’s about those around that don’t smoke and the impact on them by secondhand smoke,” Lingle said. “Hopefully, it’s about them in a sense that the fewer places they’re able to smoke, the more incentive they have to stop smoking.”
Lowell Baesler, a tourist from Mandan, North Dakota, said he already goes outside to keep his fumes away from his three children. But Baesler said lawmakers are missing the point by only going after smokers.
“All I have to do is walk out here by the street with these cars and buses and I’m breathing in even worse air,” the 37-year-old smoker said.
Workers at the Hawaii Tobacco Quitline expect to get an influx of calls in the next few weeks due to the new law and the American Cancer Society’s annual Smokeout event, which encourages smokers to quit, said coordinator Valerie Smalley.
Authorities don’t expect to give out tons of tickets, but they hope businesses and public pressure become a front line of enforcement, said Julian Lipsher, a public health educator with state Health Department.
Businesses in Hawaii failing to comply with the law face fines up to $100 for the first offense, $200 for the second offense and up to $500 for each additional violation. Individual violators of the smoking law may be fined up to $50 plus court costs.
More than 126 million Americans are regularly exposed to smokers’ fumes, and tens of thousands die each year as a result, according to a federal study released earlier this year. It cited “overwhelming scientific evidence” that secondhand smoke causes heart disease, lung cancer and other illnesses.
In Hawaii, only about 17 percent of adults smoke, the fourth-lowest rate in the nation, according to the state Health Department.
Many residents and tourists said they favor the new law.
Genevieve Bowman of San Diego, who visited the islands this week, said she likes to see the stricter laws in states when she goes on vacation.
She’s already used to smoke-free bars, restaurants and even beaches in California. And she immediately notices when she walks into an establishment filled with smokers.
“When we go to Las Vegas, as soon as we walk into the casino you smell the smoke and it’s like ‘Oh yeah, I forgot what that’s like,” the 67-year-old said Thursday.
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