HB833 Summary

• Establishes criminal offense of unlawful shipment of tobacco products to unlicensed entities in Hawaii, with Class C felony penalties for shipments valued at $10,000 or more and misdemeanor penalties for lesser amounts.

• Expands definition of "tobacco products" to include electronic smoking devices and e-liquids, subjecting them to the same excise tax and licensing requirements as traditional tobacco products.

• Requires retailers selling e-liquids or electronic smoking devices to obtain retail tobacco permits and specifies what products they sell; requires wholesalers and dealers to obtain licenses from the Department of Taxation.

• Increases wholesale/dealer license fee from $2.50 to $250 annually and retail tobacco permit fee from $20 to $50 annually.

• Repeals existing statutes governing electronic smoking device delivery sales and local preemption provisions to avoid conflicts with state taxation and regulation framework.