Washington: Towards a ban on flavored tobacco and nicotine products and a price increase

Washington state lawmakers have introduced two bills, House Bill 2068 and its Senate counterpart, SB 5803, to ban the sale of flavored tobacco and other nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, chewing tobacco, cigars, and nicotine pouches like Zyn.[1], and increase the price of cigarette packets by 2$.

Both public health and financial objectives

The goal is to reduce the use of nicotine products and protect young people, particularly from menthol cigarettes and other flavored products. In Washington State, in 2022, 10.1% of adults smoked and 7.1% vaped.[2], 2.2 % of high school students smoke tobacco and 7.7 % vape[3] and in 2023, 18.2% of Washington high school students (64,480 students) reported using a nicotine product in the past 12 months[4].

Supporters of these bills point out that mint, often perceived as milder and more appealing, makes it easier to start smoking and harder to quit, especially among young people. They believe these bans could have a significant impact on public health, citing in particular the 83,000 annual deaths caused by smoking in the state.

At the same time, the bills propose a $2 increase per pack of cigarettes, which would be indexed to inflation and adjusted every three years to account for rising costs. If passed, Washington state would move into the top tier of states with the highest cigarette taxes, yet still remain affordable for youth, increasing from $3.025 per pack to $5.025. Other tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products, such as Zyn nicotine pouches, would also see steep tax increases of up to $95 billion of the product's retail price.

These measures could generate tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue, helping to close a currently projected $16 billion budget deficit.

Strong public support in contrast to current federal policy

Casey Brown, representing the Washington State Association of School Principals, supported the bill and highlighted the ongoing vaping crisis in schools: When children become addicted, it creates problems at school. They end up in the bathroom smoking, flushing their vape pens down the toilet, and forcing already overworked school staff to intervene and impose even more discipline. ".

Additionally, recent surveys show that the majority of Washington residents support ending the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products. According to a survey conducted by FM3 Research, 63,% of Washington state residents support banning the sale of these products. 86,% of them have an unfavorable opinion of tobacco manufacturers, and 80,% are concerned about youth use of e-cigarettes or nicotine pouches.

SB 5803 has been introduced in the Senate but no public hearing has yet been scheduled.

Washington is thus one of the states advocating a strong public health policy, like the North Carolina or theOregon, and is in complete opposition to the Trump administration, which, on 1^er April 2025, put a brake on tobacco control by removing Dr. Brian King, director of tobacco and other nicotine products regulation at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).[5].

This is part of a broad program of layoffs and restructuring within U.S. federal health agencies, which has led to the departure of numerous experts responsible for food safety, drug regulation, vaccine oversight, and nicotine products. The FDA's plan to ban menthol cigarettes has also been shelved.[6].

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[1]Markovich Matt, Last minute Washington bills ban flavored tobacco and nicotine, add $2 cigarette hike, My Northwest, published April 7, 2025, accessed April 8, 2025

[2]Truth Initiative, Tobacco use in Washington 2023, published April 5, 2024, accessed April 9, 2025

[3]Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, The Toll of Tobacco in Washington, accessed April 9, 2025

[4]Washington Breathes, Support Healthy Youth, accessed April 9, 2025

[5]Tobacco-free generation, FDA tobacco regulator fired, published April 7, 2025, accessed April 8, 2025

[6]Tobacco-free generation, Trump administration buries menthol cigarette ban, published January 30, 2025, accessed April 9, 2025

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