Tobacco & E-Cigarettes

Why It Matters

Tobacco use is the number one preventable cause of death and disease in Oregon. The tobacco industry spends $137 million per year to promote and sell its products in Oregon. In contrast, statewide tobacco tax investment in prevention and education is $16.3 million for the 2017-19 biennia ($8.15 million per year). Tobacco-related illness kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined. Thousands more die from other tobacco-related causes, like fires caused by smoking (more than 1,000 deaths/year nationwide), and smokeless tobacco use.

What We Are Doing

All local public health departments in Oregon are engaged in the Tobacco Prevention and Education Program and work to reduce tobacco consumption through policy, systems and environmental change local work. Addressing tobacco retail practices is one important evidence-based strategy to prevent youth from using tobacco and help current users quit. Additionally, clean air— free of smoke, aerosol, and vapor— remains the standard to protect the health of bystanders, prevent tobacco and nicotine use initiation among children and youth, and encourage complete smoking cessation. Local health departments across Oregon are working with their community partners and local policy-makers to establish local laws that support tobacco and nicotine-use prevention and cessation.

In addition to the strong local prevention work CLHO works with and on behalf of local public health departments throughout Oregon to pass strong tobacco prevention policy work in the Oregon Legislature. 

Tobacco Retail Licensing (TRL)
In every county in Oregon, communities are working on retail policies that decrease youth initiation to tobacco and support individuals who are attempting to quit. Communities are engaging in best practice policy strategies such as comprehensive tobacco retail licensure (TRL) and other policy options such as tobacco retailer density or restricting price discounts on tobacco products. TRL policies are in Benton, Deschutes, Klamath, Lane, and Multnomah counties and require all businesses selling tobacco products to obtain a license which ensures responsible retailing and compliance with laws.

Tobacco 21
In 2017 Governor Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 754 into law. This law raised the required minimum age for a person to legally buy or obtain tobacco products, inhalant delivery systems, and tobacco product devices, from 18 to 21, making Oregon the fifth state to increase the sales age of all tobacco products to 21.

Indoor Clean Air Act
Oregon expanded the Oregon Indoor Clean Air Act (ICAA) in 2015 to include the use of “inhalant delivery systems,” which includes e-cigarettes and vape pens. With this law, Oregonians may not use e-cigarettes and other inhalant delivery systems in indoor public places.

E-Cigarettes
As of May 27th, 2015 HB 2546-enrolled was signed into law by Governor Kate Brown prohibiting the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors and beginning January 2016 prohibits the use of electronic cigarettes in public places.

Governor Kate Brown signing HB 2546-enrolled into law on May 27th, 2015