“A lot of people my age and even younger vape. My little sister is addicted to vaping and it’s because of the candy-flavored liquids. She is only in the 7th grade.”

“…I know a friend who does vape but says cigarettes are disgusting. If all e-cigarettes had the same smell and taste as regular cigarettes, I truly believe we will have a decrease of vaping users.”

“…I often hear them discussing flavors, and it is a big part of the allure that vaping has. If you care about the health and well-being of Hawaii’s youth, please ban flavored tobacco.”

“The inhalation of flavoring may expose you to hazardous chemicals, toxins, and nanoparticles, including diacetyl, acetyl propionyl and/or acetoin, which have been associated with permanent lung injury and disease, including bronchiolitis obliterans, a disease characterized by inflammation and scarring of the small airways of the lungs, which leads to severe and disabling shortness of breath. Exposure to the aerosol can trigger, aggravate, and exacerbate various adverse health effects including but not limited to cancer, carcinoma, addiction, birth defects, heart disease, arteriosclerosis, liver and kidney disease, abnormal conditions, disorders, symptoms, and illness of the human body.”

“So a question you may also be asking yourself, is do we know why youth tobacco use is increasing. The answer to that is yes. As I noted before the advertising will bring a horse to water, the flavors will get them to drink, and the nicotine will keep them coming back for more. We know that exposure to tobacco product advertising and imaging through various media including retail stores, the Internet, television, and other sources can cause youth to start using tobacco products.”

“E-cigarettes, and flavors in both their normal and mentholated forms, have persisted as a disproportionately pervasive product in our Native Hawaiian community, specifically with Native Hawaiian youth, like me. As we garner greater awareness about the consequences of social inequities and the systemic imprints that have been made on the lāhui, there is an increasing burden to call the targeted marketing yielding a vaping epidemic what it is – an issue of social justice.”

“The Tobacco Industry disproportionately targets low income and black and brown communities through menthol products, advertising and reduced tobacco prices. These marketing disparities can only be solved through a restriction of the Tobacco Industry in our historically vulnerable communities.”