Smoking ban in Hawaii’s beaches

Published on March 12, 2008 4:45 AM

The Hawaii County Council prohibited smoking in all Big Island beaches, parks and recreation areas. The council's nine members stated that the smoking ban is now spread only on Kahaluu Beach Park.

A group of middle school students, in order to protect marine life from cigarettes ends, picked more than 2,000 ends from the Kahaluu beach in just 30 minutes. After such results the council decided to ban cigarette smoking in Kahaluu Beach Park.

"Making smoking illegal in public places is very important, and we all support that," North Kona Councilman Angel Pilago said.

Deborah Zysman, executive director of Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Hawaii, said that the top polluters of Hawaii’s beaches are the cigarettes ends. The council’s members showed that only a smoking ban and fine can decrease the number of cigarettes ends in Hawaii’s beaches.

Puna Council woman Emily Naeole, a former smoker, added: "I will support the ban despite the objections from family members and friends who smoke. Sometimes as leaders we have to do things that are not going to be very popular."

But some smokers disagree with such a law. They state that the smoking ban contradicts with their individual freedoms. Smokers propose the council to create special smoking areas so the park visitors don't have to go out onto the road to smoke.

They don't understand why the Hawaii County Council didn’t ban car emissions, barbecue grills, and legal backyard burning because they also represent danger for people's health. But they ban only cigarette smoking.

Clifford Souza, a smoker, has said to the council: "I’m mad because drivers are allowed to emit gas from their cars next to store entrances and other public places, while smokers have to stay 20 feet away."