HONOLULU – Hawaii Governor David Ige signed a bill last week, making Hawaii the first state in the country to ban smoking for anyone under 21, beginning next year. The measure bans the sale or use of traditional tobacco cigarettes as well as electronic cigarettes for anyone under age 21. There will be no grandfather clause, so an 18-year-old who can smoke legally now will not be able to do so legally as of January 1, when the law takes effect.

"Taking this step forward to prohibit anyone under the age of 21 of smoking, purchasing, possessing, is another step to reduce the impact that smoking has on our community," Ige said at a bill signing ceremony in his State Capitol office last week.

Hawaii State Health Department officials said they will continue contracting enforcement out to local police departments that send young people into stores to see if they can buy tobacco products even though they're under age. Stores caught selling tobacco or other included smoking products to anyone under 21 will be fined $500 for the first offense and each violation after that will see fines of anywhere from $500 to $2,000. Beginning in January when the under-21 ban takes effect, any minors caught by police using tobacco products are subject to a $10 fine for the first offense and any subsequent violations will cost them $50.

A proposal to raise the smoking age to 21 is currently working its way through the California legislature as well, and four other states have already raised the legal smoking age to 19: Alabama, Alaska, New Jersey and Utah.