Salem, OR—PRESS RELEASE—Gov. Kate Brown received recommendations Aug. 20 from the Vaping Public Health Work Group to address the epidemic of vaping-related illness and youth vaping in Oregon. According to the Oregon Health Authority, youth e-cigarette use jumped 80 percent between 2017 and 2019.
The work group’s membership includes doctors and experts in pulmonology, pediatrics and public health, as well as state legislators and state agency representatives. Over the course of the last 8 months, they met to discuss the health risks of vaping and public policy recommendations for long-term solutions.
“In the middle of a worldwide pandemic, it might be easy to forget that less than a year ago, we faced a nationwide epidemic of vaping-related illness,” said Brown. “Now, though, as we are facing the spread of a disease that attacks the respiratory system, it’s even more important that we take steps to protect the health and safety of Oregon’s youth, who have been using vaping products at increasingly high rates.”
“I would like to thank the members of this work group for continuing this important work even as many of them were also on the front lines responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on these recommendations, we can take long-term steps to ensure that we do not see another outbreak of vaping-related illnesses and deaths, as we did last summer.”
Among the health experts on the Vaping Public Health Work Group is Dr. Brian Druker of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, a pioneer in the field of precision medicine whose research has helped to revolutionize cancer treatment. Dr. Mary McKenzie, the Director of Pulmonology at Legacy Health, also brought her direct experience working with patients with vaping-related lung injuries to the panel.
The recommendations of the Vaping Public Health Work Group include:
Banning the use of flavored e-cigarettes and other flavored vaping tobacco products
Flavored products disproportionately target Oregon youth, young adults and communities of color. Banning these products is an evidenced-based approach to prevent Oregonians from becoming addicted at a young age. Flavored products are market-entry products, with 75% of Oregon youth choosing flavored products, compared to only 18% of adults over the age of 25. For decades, the tobacco industry has also targeted people with low incomes and Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) communities with marketing campaigns, leading to harmful health impacts for those communities.
Banning harmful additives, requiring ingredient disclosure for cannabis vaping products, and establishing standards for documentation and verification
