Oregon committee hears competing testimony on bill to restrict flavored tobacco sales to OLCC stores

The Senate Committee on Finance and Revenue opened a public hearing on Senate Bill 702A on May 21, 2025, a proposal that would limit retail sales of flavored tobacco and flavored synthetic‑nicotine products to stores established by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC), and prohibit providing tobacco or nicotine products without compensation.

Proponents, including Senator Lisa Reynolds and several pediatricians and public‑health experts, told the committee the measure would reduce youth access and prevent nicotine addiction. Opponents — retailers, wholesalers and some elected officials — said shifting sales from roughly 3,000 private retailers to about 280 OLCC stores would cut state tax revenue, cost jobs and expand illicit markets.

The bill’s core provision would require flavored tobacco and flavored synthetic‑nicotine products be sold only at OLCC stores established under ORS 471.75. Senator Lisa Reynolds, state senator for Senate District 17, said the bill "limits the sale of flavored tobacco and flavored synthetic nicotine products in Oregon" and emphasized its public‑health aims, noting the measure "excludes FDA approved smoking cessation products" and includes an implementation date of July 1, 2026. A legislative staff member (Mr. Hart) provided a preliminary fiscal estimate, saying the restriction would produce "about dollars…