Oregon Highlights

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Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States and in Oregon. To address this enormous toll, the American Lung Association calls for the following actions to be taken by Oregon's elected officials:

  1. End the sale of all flavored tobacco products; and
  2. Protect Oregon's Clean Indoor Air Act.
Senator Lisa Reynolds championed Senate bill 702, legislation to end the sale of flavored tobacco products in Oregon, which the American Lung Association was pleased to lend its support to. The bill was heard in Early Childhood and Behavioral Health and was amended to limit the sale of flavored tobacco products to Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) licensed liquor stores where customers must be over the age 21 to enter. Corner stores, mini marts, vape shops and other tobacco retailers would be prohibited from selling flavored tobacco products. This amendment would have reduced the number of retailers that can sell flavored products from more than 2,800 stores to 151 OLCC-licensed liquor stores. The bill, with this amendment, was passed out of committee with a referral to Finance and Revenue. Unfortunately, the bill did not move further and died in this committee upon adjournment.

In a surprise move to provide funding for Oregon's wildfire prevention efforts, House Bill 3940 proposed a modest tax on synthetic nicotine “pouch” products, an untaxed product in the state. This proposal was approved with funding dedicated to Oregon's Landscape Resiliency Fund and Community Risk Reduction Fund. The bill passed through both chambers and was signed by Governor Kotek on July 24, 2025.

The American Lung Association will continue to explore avenues to make progress on ending the sale of flavored tobacco products, including local community activity. We continue to wait for a ruling from the Oregon Supreme Court on whether counties are preempted under state law from passing ordinances to end the sale of flavored tobacco products. The two biggest counties in the state, Multnomah and Washington, have flavored tobacco product ordinances in place that are set to take effect if the court ruling goes in their favor. It would also allow additional counties to take a fresh look at the issue.

Oregon Facts
Healthcare Costs Due to Smoking: $1,547,762,592
Adult Smoking Rate: 10.60%
Adult Tobacco Use Rate: 18.80%
High School Smoking Rate: 3.20%
High School Tobacco Use Rate: 20.60%
Middle School Smoking Rate: 1.30%
Smoking Attributable Deaths per Year: 5,470
Adult smoking and tobacco use data come from CDC's 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System; adult tobacco use includes cigarettes, smokeless tobacco and e-cigarettes. High school (11th grade only) smoking and tobacco use, and middle school (8th grade only) smoking rates are taken from the 2022 Oregon Student Health Survey. High school tobacco use includes cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and electronic vapor products, as well as hookah, making it incomparable to other states.

Health impact information is taken from the Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity and Economic Costs (SAMMEC) software. Smoking-attributable deaths reflect average annual estimates for the period 2005-2009 and are calculated for persons aged 35 years and older. Smoking-attributable healthcare expenditures are based on 2004 smoking-attributable fractions and 2009 personal healthcare expenditure data. Deaths and expenditures should not be compared by state.

Oregon Information

Learn more about your state specific legislation regarding efforts toward effective Tobacco Control.

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