New smoking law begins today statewide

New state law prohibiting smoking in all public places supports UH Tobacco Policy in place since January 2003

HONOLULU, Hawaiʻi — A UH Tobacco Products Policy in place since January of 2003 now has the backing of a new stricter state law prohibiting smoking in all public places, which goes into effect today.

The current UH Tobacco Products Policy previously prohibited smoking in the following areas:
· All interior space owned, rented or leased by the university;
· In building courtyards, breezeways, and terraces, on exterior stairways and access ramps, and outdoor dining patios, terraces, and lanais;
· Within 20 feet of building entrances, exits, air intake ducts, vents and windows or buildings that are not air-conditioned;
· Within 50 feet of designated pick-up and drop-off points for campus and public bus transportation;
· Within the gates of the university‘s outdoor sports and performing arts, stadiums and arenas, including walkways, corridors, and seating areas, and;
· Any area that has been designated by the person having control of the area as a non-smoking area and marked with a no smoking sign.

UH‘s existing policy mirrors the current law except in regards to its current policy of prohibiting smoking within 50 feet of designated pick-up and drop-off points for campus and public bus transportation. This is not required by state law, but is part of UH‘s Tobacco policy.

The university‘s smoke-free policy also affects all university residences and restricts advertising and sale of tobacco products or sponsorship of campus events or organizations by tobacco industry or tobacco promoting organizations.

The policy applies to the entire university community including faculty, staff, students and visitors. For more information on the UH Tobacco Products Policy visit http://www.hawaii.edu/smokingpolicy. For more information on the new smoking law visit http://www.smokefreehawaii.com.

About the University of Hawaiʻi
Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaiʻi is the state‘s sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawaiʻi, the U.S. mainland, and around the world. For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu.

For more information, visit: http://www.smokefreehawaii.com