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Lane County Elected Officials Take Pledge to Raise Tobacco Sales Age to 21
June 17, 2016
In Eugene, State, county, and local elected officials took a step in raising the tobacco sales age to 21, Thursday, by signing a pledge. ACS CAN hosted an event with a speaker lineup that included Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich, State Representative Val Hoyle, Eugene School Board Chair Ann Marie Levis, and Tobacco 21 For Oregon policy experts and advocates came together to show their support.
At the event, UO students also took a pledge to remain tobacco-free and not be “one of seven” Oregon kids each day who begin smoking. The panel said the overall goal is prevent people from starting, not just locally but statewide. Members of the ACS CAN Oregon are using this event to build on the momentum of last weeks Board of Commissioners meeting.
"There's great momentum in the county," said Luis Rodriguez, director of government relations for ACS CAN. "The county really wants to move forward with looking at a tobacco 21 policy locally, and we're excited about this and we're really energized and we're hoping to devote some resources here locally to help make that happen."
"If we can get kids not to start smoking, they're most likely not to be smokers in the future," Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich said.
The county commissioners are planning to look at modern ordinances from other states and counties who have already raised the age, and hope to cast their votes sometime this summer.
If passed, Lane County would be the first county or municipality in Oregon to raise the age to 21.
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