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Tobacco-Free Kaua’i
In 1987, the Kaua’i County Council first approved a law restricting smoking in certain places. In October 2002, the Council passed an amendment to the law to include larger workplaces and all restaurants.
The smoke-free bill, effective January 1, 2003 now covers all workplaces with more than five employees per workshift, restaurants, the bar areas within restaurants, and numerous public places. Areas that remain exempt from the current bill include open air areas of restaurants that must be separated from the main dining area by at least 10 feet, stand-alone bars, and nightclubs. An additional exemption includes part-time restaurant/bars, which are establishments that operate mainly as a restaurant, during which times they must be smoke-free, but change into bars during specified hours of the day. Part-time restaurant/bars must be registered with the Kauai Department of Liquor Control and the hours during which they operate as a bar must be clearly posted.
Other places covered by the law include elevators, museums, libraries, galleries, hospitals, auditoriums, movie theatres, schools, banks, retail stores, common areas in apartment buildings, hotels except individual hotel rooms. Also covered are public parks and recreations areas under the jurisdiction of the Kaua’i Department of Public Works Division of Parks and Recreation.
Kaua‘i’s coalition, Tobacco-Free Kaua‘i, is active in a number of areas including work on the smoke-free policy on Kaua‘i and offering the Tar Wars program to more than 1,000 5th graders on Kauai. This program is designed to reach youths at an early age to tell them about the dangers of smoking and advise them never to start. Tobacco-Free Kaua‘i has also begun a program to have all health-care providers on Kauai ask every patient if they use tobacco products and, if they do, offer them a means to quit via the brief intervention method. If you are interested in becoming a member of Tobacco-Free Kaua‘i, the contact is listed below.
Tobacco-Free Kaua‘i Coordinator
Charles Roessler
e-mail: charles.roessler@verizon.net
Phone: 808-828-6462
Website: www.tobaccofreekauai.com
