Washington County, Ore. Considering Flavored Tobacco Ban

Oregon’s second-most populous county appears headed towards banning the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products.

Yesterday, the Washington County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 in favor of advancing a revised ordinance that would ban the sale of flavored tobacco and flavored products. It’s the second time an attempt at banning flavored tobacco products has been made in as many months. The first proposal—which was also in the form of an amendment—was withdrawn after two commissioners—the same two who voted against the proposal on Tuesday—complained about how the amendment was added.

Another hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2, at which point the Board of Commissioners could make Ordinance 878 law. The ordinance is being enacted to comply with a statewide law, S.B. 587, that the Oregon legislature passed that will require statewide retail licensing for stores that sell tobacco. The statewide law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

In addition to banning the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, Ordinance 878 would also ban the use of coupons to purchase tobacco and vaping products. It would also increase the minimum age to purchase tobacco products, synthetic nicotine products, and vaporizers to 21-years-old.

Washington County is located directly west of Portland. It has a population of around 600,000 people.