Q. I was surprised to hear that they're trying to ban flavored tobacco again. I could have sworn it was already done and was wondering why stores were still carrying those little flavored cigars. What exactly are stores allowed to sell, and what would the ban stop?

A. I understand your confusion, since the desire to ban flavored tobacco seems to come up every year.

"There have been a number of bills that have identified flavored tobacco, particularly cigarettes and cigars," said Julian Lipsher, a public health educator for the state Department of Health. "The data shows there's a particular appeal to younger smokers with flavors like chocolate, cherry and strawberry. It's like putting training wheels on cigarettes."

However, while there have been a couple steps forward in the effort to get tobacco products with fruit, candy and herbal flavors off the shelves, a total ban will be difficult to achieve, even if lawmakers avoid the whole issue of "menthol," the most popular flavor of all.

The ban you're referring to might be one passed by the City Council in 2000, but that specifically targeted hand-rolled "bidi cigarettes" from India. While that law was aimed at "candy-flavored cigarettes," there are still a lot of other options for those who like sweet tobacco. That's why those flavored "cigarillos" are still frequently found on convenience store counters.

You may also be confused by an agreement between the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and the attorney generals of 38 states, including Hawai'i. That agreement will keep candy-, fruit- and alcohol-flavored R.J. Reynolds brands off Hawai'i shelves — such as the controversial Kauai Kolada Camels — but no other major manufacturers have signed similar agreements.

To put that in perspective, R.J. Reynolds is only responsible for 21 of the roughly 1,500 varieties of cigarettes on the market.

That's why some lawmakers feel there's a need for House Bill 2025, which seeks to prohibit the sale and distribution of flavored tobacco products.

That bill, part of the Keiki Caucus package, takes aim at tobacco products that appeal to kids, such as flavored cigarettes, chewing tobacco and snuff, exempting menthol and clove from the prohibited flavors.

The bill does not address cigars or "cigarillos."

What's the difference? The ban defines cigarettes as "any roll of tobacco wrapped in paper or any substance not containing tobacco." Cigars are wrapped in tobacco leaves.