Advocacy Updates

BY LINDSEY STROUD - info@thr101.org In 2023, 554,833 Washington adults (9 percent) were currently smoking. This is a 10 percent decrease from 2022 and represents 57,015 fewer adults smoking. Among all smoking adults in Washington in 2023, 5.1 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds, 9.9 percent of 25–44-year-olds, 11.7 percent of 45–64-year-olds, and 6.1 percent were 65 years or older. Among all adults earning $25,000 or less in 2023, 19.4 percent were currently smoking compared to 6

An unelected agency is about to devastate an entire industry—and they're doing it by misinterpreting a law that never mentioned vaping. Starting January 1, 2026, the Washington Department of Revenue plans to impose a steep 95% excise tax on nicotine-containing vapor products. If you're thinking, "Wait, didn't the legislature just pass a law about nicotine pouches?"—you'd be absolutely right. And that's exactly the problem. Senate Bill 5814 was meant to address only one thing:

On January 31st, the House Consumer Protection and Business Committee held hearings on two significant bills: HB 1203, which bans...

As discussions of HB 1534 heat up, examining the bill's intentions and the potential consequences of its proposed vapor registry...