Ban vaping
Vaping should be banned in Hawaii.
Vaping has made a horrible impact on the community, and its hurts the youth in so many ways. Teens are already more susceptible to addiction than adults because their brains are still developing. They tend to be attracted to new fads and trends, which makes them more likely to try new exciting methods to get a buzz or seem cool. This can lead to teens and young adults being addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Take it from me. I was in high school last year and kids crave the vape. They can’t wait till they can step away from campus and take a “rip of their mod.”
My close friend developed medical problems because of his vaping. He is breathing off of an oxygen machine now because of what the vape did to his lungs.
Vaping has been around nearly a decade and has become so popular among many of our young youth, who don’t know the long-term consequences.
According to studies, vaping has a very addictive chemical in it called nicotine. Nicotine is among the most addictive substances and, in fact, the nicotine in e-liquids is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. As a consequence, nicotine stimulates the release of adrenaline and dopamine. It is not easy for people to just stop and quit vaping because of the addictive chemical nicotine.
Something must be done. A law needs to be passed prohibiting vaping in Hawaii. Hawaii can be the state that takes the stand to save youth and will be recognized throughout the whole United States as the state that cares about youth.
Kalani Piltz
Kailua-Kona
Rising temperatures
Increasing ocean temperatures affect marine species and ecosystems. Rising temperatures cause coral bleaching and the loss of breeding grounds for marine fish and mammals. Rising ocean temperatures also affect the benefits humans derive from the ocean — threatening food security, increasing the prevalence of diseases and causing more extreme weather events and the loss of coastal protection.
Achieving the mitigation targets set by the Paris agreement on climate change and limiting the global average temperature increase to well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is crucial to prevent the massive, irreversible impacts of ocean warming on marine ecosystems and their services.
State Sen. Russel Rudderman is trying to get Hawaii to have it’s own “Green Deal.”
Amami, Japan, my home island, is faced with the same problems. Many surfers gather to do beach cleaning once a month, like we do at Honolii. It is the way to do our part to take care of our mother ocean. Japan, like Hawaii, can show the world that we as island people care about our land and oceans.
Yuya Ikariyama
Hilo