Hawaii cries foul
in tobacco survey

State says it cut youth smoking,
but a study says that
it did not

By Gregg K. Kakesako
Star-Bulletin

The number of stores in Hawaii selling cigarettes to minors has dropped from 44 percent in 1996 to 11.3 percent this year.

Those figures back state health officials who today disputed a study that lists the islands as one of 18 states and territories that have failed to comply with a 1992 federal law designed to end the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to minors.

“That’s wrong,” said State Health Director Bruce Anderson. “We have a very aggressive program and an ongoing sting program that allows us to use minors to stop these sales.” Julian Lipsher, director of the health department’s tobacco prevention and education program, said “that is old news.” At the current 11 percent, “they should give us an award.” Lipsher said.

In August, Hawaii was one of four states leading the fight to reduce the sale of cigarettes to minors, according to the state Health Department.

The study released today was made by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program and published in The Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, a peer-review journal of the American Medical Association. Its author was Dr. Joseph DiFranza, a professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

DiFranza examined the applications filed in 1997 and found that 18 states or territories and the District of Columbia had failed to meet the 1992 Synar amendments and had not been punished by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

With the 1992 Synar Amendment, named for its sponsor, the late Rep. Mike Synar, D-Okla., Congress required states to pass laws banning tobacco sales to anyone under age 18 and have aggressive enforcement measures that may include unannounced inspections using decoy buyers at grocery and other retail stores.

The federal law required states to reduce teen cigarette sales to less than 20 percent or lose federal funding.

Hawaii stood to lose $2.7 million, or 40 percent of its federal funds for alcohol and drug abuse prevention and treatment.

Lipsher described Hawaii’s anti-teen smoking program as “aggressive” with a good foundation that raised penalties and fines coupled with an awareness and education program for retail merchants.

There is now a mandatory $500 fine for anyone caught selling cigarettes to a minor. Merchants are required to check photo identification of all customers who look younger than 27.

Under a four-year-old state program initiated by the alcohol and drug division of the University of Hawaii Cancer Research Center, trained 15- to-17-year-olds attempt to buy cigarettes, supervised by an adult volunteer or law enforcement officer.

Sales to minors have declined from 44 percent in 1996 to 22.8 percent in 1997 and 15 percent in 1998, and in August of this year to 11.3 percent.

Only Florida, Maine and Vermont were doing better than Hawaii. Maine’s rate was 3.9 percent in August.