Whitney M. Woodworth

Statesman Journal

The state Senate has approved raising Oregon's minimum age for tobacco use to 21.

The proposed bill in the Oregon Legislature, which would raise the age of sale for tobacco products — including e-cigarettes — from 18 to 21, is getting mixed reactions throughout Salem.

A law barring retailers from selling any tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21 would definitely impact sales, said Lisa Hawkins, co-owner of the Tobacco Pouch in West Salem. As a parent, however, she would personally be OK with the age increase.

Mike Honan, co-owner of Salem-based Valley Vapors, said he also has mixed feelings about the proposed change.

"I wouldn't want my kids vaping at a young age," he said.

Some of Valley Vapors' customers are 18 to 21, so the age increase could hurt sales, but the majority of Honan's customers are not teenagers. Most are at least in their mid-20s. Some are even in their 70s. About 90 percent are ex-cigarette smokers.

"I don't have a problem with reasonable legislation," he said.

The issue with the proposed law is it would place most of the burden of enforcement on retailers, Honan said. His employees card customers who look under 35 and would face repercussions if they sold to anyone underage. Minors caught with tobacco products or vapes and their parents don't seem to be punished, he said.

Related: E-cigarettes and vaping: Everything you need to know

Honan added that he understands why some people want the bill passed and doesn't think it'll be a huge deal if the smoking age is increased to 21. He's more concerned about the heavy taxing of small businesses like his that drive customers to shop online and force local shops out of business.

Honan and Hawkins both said they would steadfastly enforce the new age limit if the bill passes.

Senate Bill 754A was approved 19-8 on Thursday now heads to the House. If the proposal is eventually signed by Gov. Kate Brown, Oregon would be the third state to increase the legal age for buying and possessing cigarettes and other tobacco products from 18 to 21.

The proposal would reduce Oregon's tax revenue from tobacco by $1.76 million in the upcoming two-year budget, adding slightly to the state's projected $1.6 billion budget shortfall.

The losses, however, could be covered from proposals to increase tax rates on tobacco.

During her testimony before the Senate Committee on Health Care, Oregon Health Authority chronic disease prevention manager Karen Girard said tobacco use remains the number one preventable cause of death and disease in Oregon. Each year, tobacco is responsible for more than 7,000 deaths statewide.

And, she added, most addiction to tobacco begins in adolescence.

About 25 percent of high school students report using tobacco, and e-cigarettes were by far the most popular, according to a 2016 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 3 million middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes.

Each year, roughly 1,800 Oregon kids become new daily smokers, according to the American Cancer Society, the backer of the proposed bill.

The organization said unless current smoking rates decline, 68,000 Oregon kids alive today will die prematurely from tobacco use.

Dr. Brian Druker, director of the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Center, testified at a February hearing that the peak age for getting addicted to tobacco is between 18 and 21 years old.

About 80 percent of adult smokers first try smoking by age 18, according to the CDC.

“This bill will decrease the number of people who start smoking in our state by about 20 percent, and that translates into 1,000 lives saved per year,” Druker said.

Related: Oregon lawmakers want to raise sale of tobacco age to 21

Some voiced their concern about vaping being lumped in with smoking cigarettes. Catherine Kaiser, of Salem, wrote committee members and urged them to give different considerations to vaporizers. She said she worried about 18- and 19-year-olds employed at vapor shops losing their jobs.

Those under 21 still pay taxes, buy cars, sign contracts, work jobs and go to war, she said.

Kaiser also said the proposed bill seemed like government overreach.

"I do not agree with anyone under 18 smoking or vaping, but I do think that is a parental issue and not a legislative issue to parent other people's children," she said. "I believe the government is overstepping their bounds on this."

Hawaii was the first state to increase the age, followed by California. A similar bill failed in Washington last year. Dozens of cities and local jurisdictions have adopted the policy over the years, including Lane County.

The Associated Press contributed to this article

For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth