Over the years, people in Oregon have worked together to protect most employees from secondhand smoke and vape aerosol. They have created more smoke-free housing, especially for renters. They have created smoke-free parks, colleges, events and many other places. By asking for changes and supporting smoke-free laws, we are protecting people’s health, helping prevent chronic diseases, like heart disease and asthma, and helping people quit tobacco or not start.
Tobacco-free Housing
Tobacco-free housing is a growing trend across the state, with many homeowners and landlords adopting smoke- or tobacco-free policies for their homes and buildings. For example, with very positive feedback from staff and residents, Guardian Management LLC took all 12,000 of its rental units smoke-free in 2008. As of 2018, all housing authorities in Oregon have a no-smoking policy for some or all of their properties.
Tobacco-Free Colleges and Universities
Community colleges and universities across Oregon – like Portland Community College, Oregon State University, University of Oregon and Clatsop Community College – have gone tobacco-free without any drop in enrollment. Since most people who smoke start by age 19, keeping the tobacco industry and its products away from these students is a big win.
Tobacco-free Parks
Tobacco-free parks create healthy and safe places for visitors of all ages — and show children that most people in Oregon don’t smoke. Thanks to the support of community members all over the state, there’s a growing number of parks throughout Oregon that have adopted tobacco-free or smoke-free policies.
Despite these strong laws, a lot of people — especially those who work in places like hotels, casinos, home care and construction sites — still breathe smoke on the job. People earning lower wages, like service and hospitality workers, are more likely to still breathe secondhand smoke on the job. And children and adults are still exposed in many public places.
