Vaping and Your Health

Oregon Health Authority has participated in the investigation of a nationwide outbreak of respiratory illnesses associated with use of vaping devices. LEARN MORE.

Public health warning: Stop using vaping products

The Oregon Health Authority is urging Oregonians to stop using all vaping products until federal and state officials have determined the cause of serious lung injuries and deaths linked to the use of both cannabis and nicotine vaping products. State health officials will continue to work closely with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to determine the cause of deaths and illnesses in Oregon and across the nation.

No vaping products should be considered safe.

Until health experts can identify why people who have used these products have become seriously ill, and in some cases died, no vaping product should be used. People who experience symptoms of the illness after using vaping products, such as shortness of breath, cough or chest pain, should immediately seek medical attention.

Español / Spanish

Oregon Quit Line

The Oregon Quit Line is a free, telephone and web-based program that helps youth and adults quit vaping cannabis and nicotine. It offers free confidential, evidence-based counseling and materials. Callers 18 years and older can receive Nicotine Replacement Therapy in the form of patches or gum.

The Quit Line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

English: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or www.quitnow.net/oregon
Spanish: 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (1-855-335-35692) or www.quitnow.net/oregonsp
TTY: 1-877-777-6534

This is Quitting

This is Quitting powered by truth® is a free, confidential, 24-7 texting program for young people who vape.

Text DITCHJUUL to 88709 or www.thisisquitting.com

Oregon’s Drug and Alcohol Helpline

The Alcohol and Drug Helpline serves anyone in Oregon who needs information, support or access to resources and treatment for alcohol or drug use. If you or someone you know needs help, the Alcohol and Drug Helpline is free, confidential, and available 24-7, 365 days a year.

Call 800-923-4357
Text RecoveryNow to 839863

SAMHSA’s National Helpline

SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24-7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families who need support quitting substances other than nicotine.

Call 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

How to Get Rid of Vaping Products

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recommends that people who choose to dispose of e-liquids or vape pens make sure they are disposed of properly.

Nicotine vape pens and e-liquids: Take these to a facility that accepts household hazardous waste. Find a facility by county or call (toll-free) 800-732-9253 or 503-234-3000.
Cannabis vape pens and e-liquids: These will not be accepted at household hazardous waste sites or standard drug take back locations. Visit Oregon Liquor Control Commission's marijuana waste management page for information on how to dispose of these materials.

If you can’t get to one of these locations, you can dispose of vaping products in the regular trash. Remove the batteries for recycling. DEQ recommends visiting the call2Recycle website to find battery collection locations, including retail outlets like Home Depot, Lowe’s, Staples, Best Buy and Walmart.

Executive Order 19-09 to address vaping public health crisis

UPDATE: January 16, 2020

Governor Kate Brown's Executive Order 19-09 was issued October 3, 2019, to address the vaping public health crisis and outbreak of vaping-associated lung injury. As directed by the Governor, OHA adopted a rule banning the sale of flavored nicotine vaping products, but the Oregon Court of Appeals stayed enforcement of the rule. Because of the court ruling, on January 16, 2020, the Oregon Health Authority suspended the temporary rule banning sales of flavored nicotine vaping products.

OHA continues to urge all Oregonians who use vaping products to stop vaping immediately and take advantage of cessation resources. OHA is also working on other components of the Executive Order. OHA is investigating vaping-associated lung injuries. OHA will post the latest information about e-cigarette and vaping-associated lung injury, resources for the public, and tools for health care providers and partner organizations on this web page (healthoregon.org/vaping).

The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has been closely following the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) announcement of a partial sales ban on flavored nicotine vaping products. According to the FDA, companies that do not cease manufacture, distribution and sale of unauthorized flavored cartridge-based e-cigarette (other than tobacco or menthol) within 30 days risk FDA enforcement action.

OHA has repeatedly urged the FDA to ban all flavored tobacco products, without exemptions. While we recognize FDA’s intent, the proposed enforcement action falls short of its stated goal to protect the public’s health. The FDA’s action exempts menthol and open tank e-cigarettes, which allow customers to custom-mix flavors. These exemptions will drastically limit FDA’s effectiveness in reducing youth vaping. The most recent evidence shows that mint and menthol are among the most popular vape flavors for youth. This comes on top of decades of tobacco industry targeting of African-American communities with menthol marketing and discounts, contributing to a heavier burden of tobacco use, death and disease in that population. The FDA’s action also falls short on limiting youth access. Several studies have shown that it’s easier for underage buyers to purchase vaping products illegally from vape shops than from other types of retailers.

In December, the U.S. Congress passed legislation raising the national tobacco purchase age from 18 to 21. This is an important step to curb youth tobacco use. But Oregon’s experience shows that raising the minimum age is not enough to stem the youth e-cigarette epidemic. As one of the first states to raise the tobacco purchase age to 21, Oregon still experienced a nearly 80% increase in youth e-cigarette use from 2017 to 2019. One in four Oregon 11th-graders report current use of e-cigarettes and vaping products like Juul.

OHA continues to work on decreasing the use of all vaping products and implementing Gov. Kate Brown’s Executive Order 19-09. OHA is committed to developing strong programs and policies that put protecting Oregon’s kids first – not the tobacco and vape industry.

If you are ready to quit vaping or quit using other tobacco products, free help is available to anyone in Oregon.

The Oregon Quit Line is a free, telephone and web-based program that helps youth and adults quit vaping nicotine. It offers free confidential, evidence-based counseling and materials. Callers 18 years and older can receive Nicotine Replacement Therapy in the form of patches or gum.

The Quit Line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
English: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) or www.quitnow.net/oregon
Spanish: 1-855-DÉJELO-YA (1-855-335-35692) or www.quitnow.net/oregonsp
TTY: 1-877-777-6534

This is Quitting powered by truth® is a free, confidential, 24-7 texting program for young people who vape.

Text DITCHJUUL to 88709 or www.thisisquitting.com

Resources

Smokefree Oregon Cessation Campaign Toolkit

This digital media toolkit is for coordinated care organizations (CCOs), health care providers and systems, and local public health authorities (LPHAs) as part of the Oregon Health Authority’s Smokefree Oregon mass media campaign.

The toolkit includes template emails for providers and patients, social media posts, a PowerPoint presentation, talking points, and posters. These resources are designed to support people as they work to quit their vape or nicotine addiction for good – and to the health care providers helping them to achieve that goal.

Download the Cessation Toolkit - Please allow a few moments for the zip files to download.

Social Cards

What parents can do to prevent their kids from vaping or help them quit

Symptoms of severe respiratory illness related to vaping

Youth marijuana vaping in Oregon

Facebook / Instagram

Why are e-cigarettes so dangerous

Why are e-cigarettes so dangerous for teens

Ready to quit? Free help is available

Twitter

vaping social media card example in Spanish

UPDATE: January 16, 2020

As of January 16, 2020, the Oregon Health Authority has suspended temporary rules banning flavored vaping products. OHA has made posters available below for retailers to use as consumer warnings on the health risks of vaping and share resources for people who would like to quit nicotine addiction.

Materials for Retailers

Retailers may use the sign below to inform customers of the health risks of vaping and provide information on where customers can find free help to quit nicotine addiction.

Vaping Warning Sign

Safe Disposal of Nicotine Waste and Vaping Products

For retailers who want to safely dispose of vape pens and e-liquids as products:

Oregon Department of Environmental Quality recommends unused products be returned to the manufacturer or producer.
If disposed, the retailer will need to identify whether some of these items are hazardous waste and ensure they dispose of their waste properly.
DEQ hazardous waste technical assistance program staff can help retailers figure out how to tell which types of waste they have and what their options are for disposal.

To help both youth and adults with quitting vaping, more help helps. Please advise them on their options for quitting, including counseling and FDA-approved Nicotine Replacement Therapy. A combination of counseling and medication can increase the chances of successfully quitting. In your continued efforts to help your patients quit vaping products, please refer to the resources below: