Hawaii Governor David Ige has signed into law a bill that will change the legal smoking age from 18 years old to 21 years old effective Jan. 1, 2016, making Hawaii the first state in the country to raise the minimum age for tobacco use, including the use of electronic cigarettes.

This law will ban the use, sale or purchase of tobacco or e-cigarettes for individuals under 21.

Smokers under the approved legal age will be subjected to a $10 fine for the initial offense and compulsory community service and a $50 fine for repeat delinquents. Retailers will be charged a penalty of $500 if caught selling tobacco products to people under 21 for the first violation.

The state's Department of Health will reach out to tobacco retailers and distribute posters to inform the public about the new law and its effectivity date.

Gov. Ige also signed a bill prohibiting e-cigarette use and smoking in beaches and state parks.

"This allows us to put one more impediment to people smoking too much," he added.

Opponents of the bill have disputed that it sets restrictions for people already considered as adults in situations such as when joining the military.

Lawmakers in the state of California and Washington have also made efforts to raise the legal smoking age to 21 in the past months.

In Hawaii, 86 percent of grown-up smokers started smoking before the age of 21, and several teenagers report that they were receiving cigarettes from relatives or friends of legal age, according to the office of the governor.

Based on a Department of Health report, 5,600 teenagers attempt smoking in the state each year. Additionally, 1,400 individuals die due to their smoking habits or exposure to second-hand smoke. Health conditions caused by smoking cost an estimated $526 million in medical bills in Hawaii annually, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

Tobacco smoking is the primary source of preventable death in the country, and it is responsible for more than 480,000 fatalities per year, or one out of five deaths in general, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Raising the minimum age as part of our comprehensive tobacco control efforts will help reduce tobacco use among our youth and increase the likelihood that our keiki will grow up to be tobacco-free," said Gov. Ige in a statement, emphasizing the Hawaiian word 'keiki,' which means "children." 

Photo: Kieran Clarke | Flickr