Tobacco-Free Community Colleges and Universities

These tools and resources are for county TPEP programs working with community colleges and other post-secondary educational institutions to adopt and implement tobacco-free campus policies. Additional information are available at www.smokefreeoregon.com/college.

On August 9, 2017, Governor Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 754 into law. This law raised the required minimum age for a person to legally buy or obtain tobacco products, inhalant delivery systems, and tobacco product devices, from 18 to 21. One change that affects community colleges is that community colleges are now included in the definition of “facility.” A facility now means “a public or private school, college, community college, university, career school, technical education school, youth correction facility or juvenile detention facility.”

Under the new law, facilities are required to prohibit possession of tobacco products and inhalant delivery systems by those under 21 on facility grounds and at facility-sponsored activities. In addition, facilities must create a written policy and written implementation plan to reflect the policy. Sample language is provided at this link.

Sample Policies

• Sample Policy: Prohibited Use, Distribution or Sale of Tobacco Products or Inhalant Delivery Systems-- A sample policy for community colleges from the Oregon School Board Association (OSBA). (This “Version 3” is the most comprehensive of the sample policies from OSBA.)
• Model policy and checklist for colleges and universities from the American Lung Association in Oregon. (Note: This model policy and checklist aligns with the original OSBA sample policy from 2007; it does not reflect 2015 updates to the sample policy with the addition of inhalant delivery systems.)