The island state of Hawaii is regarded as the US pioneer in the fight against smoking. Now, lawmakers want to go one step further and completely ban cigarette sales, Hawaii News Now reported.

In 2016, Hawaii was the first state in the United States to raise the age for cigarette purchase to 21 years. Now, according to a proposal before the state legislature, cigarette sales could be effectively banned completely by 2024, according to the report.
The ban would go into effect progressively, starting with raising the minimum age for purchasing cigarettes to 30 in 2020, up to 50 by 2022 and two years later, no one under 100 would be allowed to buy cigarettes.
The measure (House Bill 1509), drafted by three representatives from the Democratic and Republican parties, has passed its first reading and has been assigned to committees, but does not yet have a hearing, the report said.
According to the report, some 13 per cent of Hawaii adults are smoking. The island state also has one of the nation’s highest cigarette taxes, at USD 3.20 (EUR 2.79) a pack. More than ten years ago, the Hawaii Legislature considerably expanded 'No Smoking'-zones, with e-cigarettes being included in prohibitions in 2016. The proposal now would exclude e-cigarettes, Hawaii News said.