You don’t see too many U.S. states creating pro-smoking campaigns, but Hawaii is running one in Japan to reassure would-be tourists from that country that the islands’ new, strict no-smoking laws really aren’t all that bad. Evidently, some Japanese erroneously believe Hawaii has banned smoking entirely. The new ad campaign, “Smoking with Aloha,” sets the record straight. Anti-smoking advocates are, of course, upset. Says one: “This is not really sending a message that Hawaii is concerned about good health.” The tagline is somewhat ironic, too, as “aloha” literally means “breath of life.”

—Posted by Tim Nudd