Buying tobacco on Net harder
Advertiser Staff
The state has made more progress in its attempt to prevent the illegal sale of cigarettes over the Internet and through the mail.
An agreement with Lorillard Tobacco Co. — similar to one signed with Philip Morris earlier this year — would help prevent Internet vendors from circumventing state and federal laws that require age verification of tobacco customers, as well as reporting and tax requirements.
Lorillard manufactures Newport, Kent and other brands of cigarettes.
The announcement of this agreement coincided with Gov. Linda Lingle's signing of a bill to ban smoking in the workplace and enclosed public spaces, a law aimed at reducing exposure to secondhand smoke.
The law will go into effect Nov. 16.
According to a statement from Hawai'i Attorney General Mark Bennett, Lorillard struck a deal with 33 state attorneys general to:
The attorneys general said that while "brick and mortar" stores check identification, most Internet sellers do not have sufficient means to verify their customers' ages. Many also fail to charge taxes, which lowers the price and makes cigarettes easier for young people to afford.
"With this agreement, we are continuing our fight to end the illegal sale of cigarettes over the Internet, in particular the illegal sale to kids," said Bennett. "Hopefully, other tobacco companies will follow Lorillard's lead and take steps to ensure they do not supply these illegal vendors."
Lingle said the state will continue to work in other ways to prevent smoking by minors.
In the meantime, she said she expects the ban on smoking in the workplace to save lives.
In a statement issued by the American Legacy Foundation, Lingle, a member of the board, noted that nonsmoking sections in restaurants and airplanes were once believed to be sufficient to protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.
"Now that we have concrete research about the serious dangers of secondhand smoke and we know that tobacco is a leading cause of preventable death in Hawai'i, it is critical that we do all we can to protect the health of our residents and visitors by providing public venues that are truly smoke-free," she said.
