HONOLULU, April 25 (UPI) -- Hawaii is poised to be the first state to raise the legal smoking age to 21 after the measure cleared the Legislature Friday.

The bill prevents adolescents from buying, possessing or smoking traditional or electronic cigarettes. It is unclear if Gov. David Ige will sign the measure. Currently the legal age in Hawaii is 18.


"The statistics show that if you keep people from smoking until they're 18, there's a three-in-one chance that they will never become a smoker. But if you can keep them from smoking until at least 21, you've got a 20-to-1 chance that they'll never become a smoker," said Hawaii state Sen. Roz Baker, a Democrat and chair of the Senate commerce and consumer protection committee.

If signed into law, those under 21 breaking the rules would be subject to a $10 fine for the first offense and $50 fines for repeat offenses. It would take effect beginning January 2016.

Several cities, including New York City, have already raised the purchasing age for cigarettes to 21, but most states set the age at 18 or 19.

Thursday, Ige signed a measure to ban electronic cigarettes where traditional cigarettes are banned.