CONCERNS OVER VAPING SHOP IN WAIMEA SHOW DISPARITY OF SIDES ON NEWLY RESEARCHED SMOKING ALTERNATIVE
KAILUA-KONA —
Clouds are as common a
sight in Waimea as they
are almost anywhere on
Hawaii Island. But a particular
and ever-morepresent
sort of plume
billowing throughout the
region has created some
concern among residents
there.
Vaping, and the questions
surrounding this
sometimes scarcely understood
smoking alternative,
prompted a Waimea
Community Association
meeting March 1 to peer
through the haze surrounding
the controversial
practice.
The presence of Black
Lava Vape, which has
operated a location in
Kailua-Kona since June
of 2013 and opened a second
space in Waimea in
October, has intensified
the discussion.
“There is some community
concern and that was
Hawaiian monk seal RA20, left, plays
with her pup Manu‘iwa at Mahaiula
Bay on Friday. Manu’iwa has been
growing at a healthy pace and will be
ready to set off on her own in a few
weeks.
SUNDAY, MARCH 18, 2018 WESTHAWAIITODAY.COM $1.50
really kind of what prompted
us to have the meeting
— because I was getting so
many calls,” said Patti Cook,
president of the WCA.
The meeting featured a
question-and-answer session
with multiple panelists,
including a health
professional, an educator,
an anti-smoking advocate,
a vape shop owner and
others.
Residents voiced several
issues including health
and addiction concerns,
whether the process can
lead to the smoking of
tobacco instead of aiding
in smoking cessation, how
the products are marketed
and the physical location
of the outlets — particularly
their proximity to
schools.
Sean Anderson, who
owns both Black Lava
locations and intends to
open a third in Pahoa,
said he was surprised
by the level of concern
in Waimea, where there
remains a level of resistance
he didn’t encounter
in Kona. He added while
the meeting didn’t resolve
community concerns, it
was an important step
toward breaking through
what he considers common
misconceptions surrounding
vaping.
“Immediately the thing
that I understood was
people didn’t understand,”
Anderson said. “There
was a lack of understanding
about what we do and
what vaping is.”
KEALAKEKUA — As
the principal of Konawaena
Elementary School, Claire
Yoshida knows the barriers
South Kona’s communities face
when it comes to health care.
Many of the school’s students
and families are low-income,
Yoshida said, and some of them
may lack access to services and
providers.
“So in order for children
to come to school and really
do their best every day, they
need to be healthy,” she said.
“They need to have their vision
checked so that they can learn;
they need to have their hearing
checked so that they can
learn.”
It makes events like the
fourth annual South Kona
Community Health Fair all
the more important for the
communities in this district,
where limitations like lack of
transportation could otherwise
mean residents go without care.
The health fair held Saturday
at Konawaena Elementary
School’s cafeteria brought
together 38 nonprofits, government
agencies and health
providers to give area residents
a chance to see what services
are available to them in the
community. The event was
organized by the Lions Club
of Kona and the West Hawaii
Community Health Center.
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HI 83 LO 72 WEATHER, PAGE 6A
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KONA
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58551 00781 7
VOL. 50, NO. 77 28 PAGES
Story, page 8A
VOLCANO WATCH: Kilauea’s eruption turns 10
Page 4A
Stacy Barnes of West Hawaii Community Health Center
checks David Ota’s blood glucose level, screening for diabetes
Saturday at the South Kona Community Health Fair at
Konawaena Elementary School. LAURA RUMINSKI/WEST HAWAII TODAY
Making connections for care
HEALTH FAIR BRINGS PROVIDERS, SERVICES TO SOUTH KONA
BY CAMERON MICULKA
WEST HAWAII TODAY
cmiculka@westhawaiitoday.com
BY MAX DIBLE
WEST HAWAII TODAY
mdible@westhawaiitoday.com
Robert Anthony, 33, has been vaping for two years and said it helped him
quit smoking cigarettes. TOM HASSLINGER/WEST HAWAII TODAY
IN
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SEE VAPING PAGE 6A
SEE HEALTH PAGE 5A
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