FullSizeRender.jpg.jpeg

Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, D-Portland, pictured on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017 at the Oregon State Capitol.

(Gordon Friedman/Staff)

SALEM -- A bipartisan pair of state lawmakers have announced their plans to introduce a bill to raise the tobacco sales and possession age to 21.

Sen. Elizabeth Steiner Hayward, D-Portland, and Rep. Rich Vial, R-Wilsonville, the measure's chief sponsors, told reporters Wednesday that lives can be saved if fewer Oregonians become addicted to tobacco.

One in five deaths in Oregon are tied to tobacco-related health conditions, Steiner Hayward said, adding that her father, father-in-law and aunt all died from tobacco-related diseases.

"Oregon deserves a better future than this," she said. "This is not a partisan issue."

Vial, a newcomer to the state House of Representatives, said co-sponsoring the measure is his first official action as a lawmaker. He said the bill is not about creating a "nanny state," but saving lives.

California and Hawaii, along with some cities, have passed laws increasing the tobacco age to 21, Steiner Hayward said.

"Those are relatively new," she said, "so we're still waiting to see the effects."

Rep. Rich Vial, R-Wilsonville, speaks with reporters at the Oregon State Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017.

Dr. Brian Drucker, director of the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Center, also spoke with reporters and said one third of all cancers are related to smoking.

"This bill will decrease the number of people who start smoking in our state by about 20 percent," Drucker said. The effect: up to 1,000 lives saved each year, he said.

Steiner Hayward said the bill would fine shopkeepers and managers who are caught selling tobacco to anyone under 21. Under-age tobacco users would have their smokes or snuff destroyed instead of facing a fine or criminal charge, she said.

"We didn't want to give them criminal records," said Steiner Hayward, who is also a physician at OHSU.

Steiner Hayward proposed similar legislation in past years, only to see it fail. She said this year's bill will enjoy strong bipartisan support, but wouldn't say how many lawmakers have signed on to back the measure.

Lawmakers may also consider other changes to tobacco law this year. Steiner Hayward is co-sponsoring a bill to increase tobacco taxes, and Gov. Kate Brown has asked the Legislature to pass a budget that includes more revenue from tobacco and liquor sales.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

gfriedman@oregonian.com; 503-221-8209