Think Out Loud

Oregon Supreme Court upholds Washington County’s flavored tobacco ban

By Gemma DiCarlo (OPB)
May 15, 2026 1 p.m.

Broadcast: Friday, May 15

A person demonstrates use of a vape in this undated file photo.

FILE - A person demonstrates use of a vape in this file photo from 2019.

Kristian Foden Vencil / OPB

The Oregon Supreme Court unanimously ruled last week that Washington County can ban the sale of flavored tobacco products, including for vapes and hookah. County commissioners passed the ban in 2021, but it’s been tied up in court since retailers sued to stop it in 2022. The decision came just days after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for the first time, authorized the sale of some fruit-flavored vape pods.

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Gwyn Ashcom is a senior program coordinator at Washington County Public Health. She joins us to share more about the county’s plans now that the ban can go forward.

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