Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s six-month ban on flavored vaping products kicks in today, affecting thousands of vape shops, convenience stores and marijuana dispensaries across the state.

Yet the state and county health departments are still marshaling their resources to enforce the ban, the rules of which were issued just last Friday. So while some inspections may begin Tuesday, and violators could be subject to penalties, visits to retail locations won’t get underway in earnest until late this week.

The ban comes with stiff penalties – retailers could face hundreds of dollars in fines for each violation and marijuana dispensaries could lose their licenses. Initially, though, vape shops are likely to receive warning letters while dispensaries may receive guidance on which marijuana products contained banned flavorings.

Here’s what to know:

The ban: Retailers may not sell flavored vaping products containing nicotine and marijuana – including products with the psychoactive component THC and those with CBD. Retailers may only sell vaping products that taste like tobacco or marijuana.

The reason: Brown ordered the ban in response to the vaping health crisis, which has sickened 1,300 people across the country and killed 26. Oregon health officials say nine people have fallen ill from vaping here and two have died. Oregon officials have also said they hope the ban on flavored vaping will deter kids from vaping.

Enforcement: The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is responsible for ensuring marijuana retailers comply; the Oregon Health Authority will oversee the monitoring of nicotine vape sales – county health departments will be generally responsible for the actual inspections.

Penalties: Up to $500 per day, per violation. Marijuana retailers could lose their license. The Oregon Health Authority says it will begin with warning letters in most cases. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission says it expects to begin issuing penalties to marijuana dispensaries that break the rules right away, though it may allow some latitude to those that aren’t aware a specific product contains banned flavorings.

Retail impact: The liquor commission estimates the ban will impact 10% of Oregon’s recreational marijuana market. The health authority says it believes 4,000 retailers statewide sell nicotine vape products. Some vape shops have said the ban will put them out of business. Others plan to shift to cigarettes. It could also be a hit to convenience stores that attract a steady stream of customers for vaping products.

Litigation: Numerous Oregon vape shops have raised the possibility of filing suit to block the governor’s order. A state court blocked a similar flavored vaping ban in New York earlier this month and a broad vaping ban in Massachusetts gets a federal court hearing Tuesday. In Oregon, though, there don’t appear to be any challenges yet to the statewide ban on flavored vaping products.

-- Mike Rogoway | twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699

-- Fedor Zarkhin

fzarkhin@oregonian.com

desk: 503-294-7674|cell: 971-373-2905|@fedorzarkhin