Tobacco: A Silent Wrecking Ball

Let’s be honest: nothing screams “America’s broken relationship with health” quite like tobacco.

I’ve received countless emails from constituents about Oregon’s youth tobacco problem. It’s clear that people are deeply concerned, and for good reason. I’ve spent years as a dentist, and let me tell you, the mouth is the first witness to the devastation. Tobacco doesn’t just leave a trail of yellow teeth and bad breath. It’s like watching a horror movie unfold in slow motion—gum disease taking root in folks barely out of college, teeth vanishing long before their time, and the gut-wrenching moments of telling someone they’ve got oral cancer. The path to these tragedies often starts way earlier than we’d like to admit, with teenagers being seduced by flavored e-cigarettes as colorful and enticing as a candy store.

The Youth Epidemic That Won’t Quit

Now, Oregon’s got a fight on its hands that’s as tough as quitting cold turkey. Youth tobacco use is like a Hydra: cut off one head, and another—this time vaping—sprouts up. Policies, public health campaigns, school interventions—we’ve tried them all. Yet, flavored products continue to worm their way into the hands of kids. And let’s be real: these products aren’t “somehow” ending up there. They’re designed to be addictive, masked in bubblegum sweetness, and made just accessible enough to keep kids hooked.

Stopping Tobacco Before It Starts

Curbing youth tobacco use is critical because the stakes are so high. According to the Oregon Health Authority, about 25% of Oregon high school students have used some form of tobacco product. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that more than 3 million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in 2022 alone. The earlier kids start using nicotine, the harder it is to quit—with studies showing that nearly 90% of adult smokers began before the age of 18. Nicotine exposure during adolescence also affects brain development, leading to long-term cognitive and behavioral impairments. Add to that the increased risk of developing lifelong addictions and tobacco-related diseases, and the picture gets even bleaker.

Why a Ban Isn’t a Silver Bullet

So, what do we do? The nuclear option—an outright ban on flavored tobacco products—sounds tempting. It’s clean, decisive, and sends a message. But hold on. That’s not just a grenade in the youth vaping epidemic; it’s a wrecking ball through the freedom of adult consumers. Adults who, for better or worse, should have the liberty to make their own choices. Plus, those tax revenues from tobacco products? They don’t just vanish into the ether. They fund healthcare programs, cessation clinics, and community health initiatives. If we go full prohibition, we might cut youth vaping by a fraction but lose millions in funding for the very programs designed to address tobacco-related harm. And who’s to say teens won’t just turn to the black market for their fix?

Cutting the Snake Off at the Source

The real villain here isn’t the individual consumer. It’s the supply chain. Too many of these flavored products—the ones doing the most damage—shouldn’t even be in stores. They’ve either flunked FDA approval or slithered their way past the tax system. So, instead of punishing the buyer, why not focus our firepower on the distributors and wholesalers who are flooding the market with this junk?

Building a Smarter System

Here’s the idea: let’s enforce stricter rules on the supply chain. Make distributors and wholesalers prove that every product they’re shipping is FDA-approved. Install ironclad licensing requirements, conduct regular audits, and slap non-compliant distributors with penalties that make them think twice. Oh, and bring on some tech—digital verification systems that track every product entering Oregon to ensure it meets regulatory standards. Think of it as TSA for tobacco, but with less pat-down awkwardness.

More Revenue, Less Risk

What does this accomplish? First, it puts the brakes on unapproved products before they ever hit the shelves. Second, it keeps the market open for adults who want to buy regulated tobacco products—because, let’s face it, prohibition has never been America’s strong suit. Third, it creates more shelf space for approved (and therefore taxed) products. As a result, we’ll actually increase the revenue available to fund treatment and addiction centers. That means we can continue funding programs that help people quit smoking, offer screenings for oral cancers, and educate communities about the dangers of tobacco.

A Plan That Balances Freedom and Responsibility

This idea comes from hard-working legislators and tobacco industry experts who met with me this week to discuss these issues. It isn’t a perfect solution—nothing ever is. But it’s a strategy that threads the needle between public health, individual freedom, and fiscal responsibility. We’re not yanking products out of every adult’s hand, nor are we leaving kids to fend for themselves in a sea of vape clouds. It’s a pragmatic, behind-the-scenes fix that tackles the real problem: an unchecked supply chain.

Let’s Keep Our Eyes on the Big Picture

Oregon’s struggle with youth tobacco use is part of a bigger, national story. But by focusing on what happens before these products ever reach consumers, we’re not just addressing the symptoms—we’re going after the disease. Let’s make it harder for kids to start, easier for adults to make informed choices, and possible for communities to keep funding the fight against tobacco’s harms. Because at the end of the day, this isn’t just about policy. It’s about lives.