New Oregon Law Targeting Youth Nicotine Addiction Reinforces the Role of the Neighborhood Pharmacist

As "Small Pharmacy. Big Care." billboards return to southern Oregon, a new state law closes the loophole on flavored nicotine pouches, and independent pharmacists say they're ready to help

PORTLAND, Ore., July 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For years, public health officials have warned that flavored nicotine pouches, lozenges and gum were finding their way into the hands of Oregon teenagers through a regulatory gap. As of June 5, that gap is now much smaller.

Senate Bill 1571, signed into law earlier this year, expands Oregon's legal definition of "tobacco products" to include oral nicotine pouches and similar products, regardless of whether the nicotine in them is naturally or synthetically derived. The change brings Oregon in line with federal law and means retailers must now check ID and enforce the state's 21-and-over purchase age for these products, just as they do for cigarettes and vapes.

For Cascadia Pharmacy Group (CPG), a cooperative of independent pharmacies across the Pacific Northwest, the timing lines up with a message the organization has been building all year: pharmacists are on the front lines of both preventing youth nicotine addiction and helping adults quit. According to a 2026 report from Truth Initiative, "70% of adult smokers indicate they want to quit but only 7.5% are able to successfully quit. In 2019, more than half of middle and high school students who current use e-cigarettes reported seriously thinking about quitting, and nearly as many (52.9%) reported trying to quit in the last year."

"Policies that make tobacco less appealing, less addictive, and less accessible are critical to help current tobacco users quit and prevent new people from starting to use tobacco products."
- Truth Initiative

A Fast-Growing Product Among Teens

Oral nicotine pouches are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. tobacco market, and by 2024 they had become the second most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students nationally, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many are sold in flavors like cool mint, citrus burst, refreshing chill and wild berry; and a national study found that roughly 80% of youth who have ever used a tobacco product started with a flavored one.

A statewide retail assessment conducted by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) in 2025 found that 65% of tobacco retailers offered price promotions, and 43% of those promotions were for oral nicotine products. One popular brand carried the lowest advertised price of any tobacco or nicotine product in the assessment - a price point public health officials say makes it especially accessible to price-sensitive teenagers.

Where Pharmacists Come In

Many CPG member pharmacies already offer free, one-on-one tobacco cessation counseling as part of their clinical services - creating a personalized quit plan, prescribing nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or other products, following up to offer support, making sure the NRT or drug is effective, addressing any side effects, and then referring to the Quitline or other text-based programs for additional support.

"A law can close a loophole, but it can't sit down with someone and help them build a quit plan. That's what our pharmacists do every day, and it's exactly the kind of care this campaign is trying to put back on people's radar."
- Tara Pfund, Director of Program Development at Cascadia Pharmacy Group

Billboards Return, Message Sharpens

The three billboards that launched CPG's Small Pharmacy. Big Care. campaign in Corvallis, Lebanon and Roseburg this spring came down in June at the end of their scheduled run. This month, they're going back up, continuing to direct the public to Bigcare.Video, a documentary-style film featuring real pharmacists and real patients, and reinforcing the campaign's message that local pharmacies do more than fill prescriptions.

The renewed run comes as CPG and its partners - including the Oregon Health Authority and Oregon State University College of Pharmacy - look to connect the new tobacco law to the everyday, walk-in support pharmacies already provide.

Oregon's Story, America's Moment

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Oregon, contributing to roughly 8,000 deaths a year, according to OHA. Nearly 90% of people who smoke start before age 18. CPG sees the pairing of new state policy and renewed public awareness efforts as a model other states and cooperatives could follow.

"Policies reduce youth use of tobacco products; increase quit attempts and successful quitting among adults who smoke." 
- Truth Initiative

Watch the Documentary: Bigcare.Video
Learn More: https://www.cascadiapharmacygroup.com/advocacy/
Make an Appointment for Cessation Services: https://www.cascadiapharmacygroup.com/tobacco-cessation/
Learn More About SB 1571: OHA press release

About Cascadia Pharmacy Group
Cascadia Pharmacy Group is a cooperative of independent pharmacies serving communities across Oregon, Washington, Idaho & Northern California. Affiliate pharmacies flex their collective numbers to access benefits that would be out of reach on their own, including group purchasing negotiations, centralized services, a group benefits package, collaboration across a regional network, and affiliation with national pharmacy associations. The result is a stronger, more sustainable independent pharmacy, one that can focus on what it does best: delivering personalized care to the neighbors it serves.

SOURCE Cascadia Pharmacy Group