Cigar smokers in Hawaii will still be able to shop for their next smoke online, as a bill seeking to make it unlawful to ship tobacco products to anyone other than a holder of a tobacco wholesaler, distributor or retail license died in the state’s legislature.
S.B. 2654 marked the second time in two years that the proposal was introduced, and while this time made it through both chambers, a series of unresolved amendments kept it from full passage. A conference committee with members of the House and Senate failed to act upon the bill prior to the end of the current legislative session on May 3, thus rendering the bill dead.
In addition to the restriction on online purchases, the bill would have added e-liquids to the definition of tobacco products, while increasing the tobacco permit fee for wholesalers, dealers and retailers. For retailers it would have gone from $20 to $50 per year, while the license for a wholesaler or dealer would jump from $2.50 to $250.
The 2017 version, H.B. 1495, was approved with amendments by the House Committee on Health, but was never heard by the House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.