Fewer people in Oregon are smoking

(MAY 15, 2025) People in Oregon are smoking less than before. In 2011, they bought a lot more cigarettes. Now, they buy half as many. That’s about 90 million fewer packs each year.

One big reason is a new tax. In 2020, voters said yes to Measure 108, which raised the tax on cigarettes. The tax went from $1.33 to $3.33 per pack. That is a 150% increase.

After the tax went up:

• Cigarette sales dropped 12% the first year.

• Then they dropped 13% in 2022.

• They dropped 9% again in each of the next two years.

At first, the government made more money from the tax — from $188 million to $361 million in two years. But now, tax money is going down again because fewer people are buying cigarettes.

Some smokers may be buying cigarettes in other states to avoid the tax. A group called the Tax Foundation thinks more than 25% of cigarettes in Oregon are not taxed. But health experts say that number is too high.

It is harder to avoid taxes in Oregon because nearby states like California and Washington also have high taxes. Idaho has a low tax — just 57 cents — but most people in Oregon live far from Idaho.

Some people may be using other products instead:

• Marijuana sales went up during COVID but are now going down.

• Vape taxes have stayed the same since Oregon added a 65% tax in 2021.  To "vape" means to breathe in nicotine (the drug found in tobacco) or another drug as vapor rather than as smoke, especially using an e-cigarette.