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Oregon voters tonight overwhelmingly approved Measure 108, which raises cigarette taxes by $2 a pack and taxes vaping products for the first time.
With about 1.5 million votes counted, the measure led 68% to 32%.
Scarred by past defeats at the hands of the tobacco industry, lawmakers waited until the final day of the 2019 legislative session to refer the measure, which would raise about $165 million a year. Most of the money will go the Oregon Health Authority to help pay for Oregon Health Plan Medicaid services, which cover about a quarter of Oregonians, and 10% will go to tobacco-use prevention programs.
Oregon hospitals and their allies preemptively built a $13.5 million war chest, which appears to have shown prospective opponents it wasn't worth fighting the tax increase.
The "yes" side celebrated an easy and early victory.
"We all know the cycle of addiction is no accident. It's a direct result of the way tobacco corporations disproportionately target low-income Oregonians, communities of color, and LGBTQ+ communities," said Natalie Bonilla, program coordinator with the Oregon Latino Health Coalition and member of the Yes on 108 Equity Advisory Committee. "Upstream solutions like Measure 108 will help tell a different story, benefitting all Oregonians—but especially those most impacted by vaping and tobacco—by ensuring that every dollar gained from the tax is directly reinvested into these communities."