The Tobacco Free Coalition of Oregon

The Tobacco Free Coalition of Oregon is a statewide coalition of organizations committed to reducing tobacco related morbidity and mortality through statewide policy changes that decrease tobacco use and exposure to tobacco by-products by advocating for statewide policies that advance the Coalition’s objectives.

The 2009 Oregon Legislative Session has come to a close and TOFCO has made great strides in our continued fight against big tobacco!

Legislative Victories:

HB 2136 Prohibits the distribution and sale of tobacco products from vending machines in areas accessible to youth.

HB 2135 Requires landlords to inform potential tenants, in writing, whether they may be exposed to secondhand smoke; gives the renter the power to make informed decisions about their living situation and protects landlords from potential renters wishing to back out of lease agreements.

HB 2672 Increases the tax of non-cigarette tobacco products, such as Snus, Orbs, and chewing tobacco and restricts the marketing of such products to prevent youth from starting to use them.

Beyond new legislation we were able to get passed, our biggest accomplishment was to successfully advocate for the continued allocation of state funds for the Tobacco Prevention Education Program (TPEP). In a time where almost all human services programs budgets were cut, TPEP will continue on with its great success of educating youth about the deadly effects of tobacco and giving those who wish to quit the support they need to do so.

The Fight Continues....
Even with all the success of the 2009 Session, we still have our work cut out for ourselves. In the coming years ALAO will continue to fight for:
-Increasing the cigarette tax to help prevent youth from beginning to smoke and increase funding for the Oregon Tobacco Prevention Education Program.

-Prohibiting the act of free sampling of all non-cigarette tobacco products to protect children and young adults from becoming addicted.

THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR YOUR HELP!