Q. Is betel nut legal or illegal in the state of Hawai'i? I notice that a growing number of immigrants from Micronesia have settled here, and there are complaints from Mayor Wright Homes about them chewing betel nut and spitting it out on the grounds and sidewalks. What does the law address in all this?

A. Betel nut is legal in Hawai'i, according to state Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo.

She said her office gets questions like this "every so often." And she said property owners may be dismayed to learn that chewing betel nut is legal, in the same way that chewing tobacco is legal.

There are laws and ordinances that prohibit spitting in public places, although clearly that offense is not too high on a law-enforcement priority list for obvious reasons.

Okubo said a Health Department official who lived on Guam and Saipan said the spitting became enough of an issue there that "they actually had signs around the hospital banning the chewing of betel nut because it made the sidewalks and grounds unsightly."

State Human Services spokesman Derick Dahilig, whose department oversees public housing such as Mayor Wright Homes, said he's not aware of complaints from public housing about betel nut spitting.

He said that officials generally work with residents to keep public housing projects clean. "We encourage our residents to take pride in where they live," he said.

Betel nut can be brought into Hawai'i, but it must be cracked so it cannot be planted, according to a spokeswoman for the state Agriculture Department.

Reach Bureaucracy Buster: