To prohibit the distribution of free or low-cost tobacco-product samples. This bill outlaws the practice known as “sampling,” whereby tobacco distributors provide no-cost or low-cost tobacco products to people.   Official Text and Analysis.

By Senator Bob Oke; Vicki Kirkpatrick, Washington Association of Public Health Officials; Mary Selecky, Secretary, Department of Health; Mallory Lundquist, President, Teens Against Tobacco Use; Susan Speider, Teens Against Tobacco Use; Nick Federici, Lung Association. They testified that tobacco use is the number one killer of people. If people do not begin tobacco use in their youth, they are much less likely to begin tobacco use during their adult lives. Consequently, the less a youth is exposed to tobacco, the less likely it is that he, or she, will begin to use it at all. The state has seen a 25-fold increase in sampling events in the last eight years. Many of these occur on college campuses because the target population, for tobacco companies, is persons 18 to 24 years old. The tobacco industry knows that if it gets people to start smoking when they are young, that they will be a customer for a long time. There has been rampant disregard by the tobacco industry of the law that prohibits distribution to minors.

Prohibiting distribution of free tobacco samples.

To incorporate amendatory language to RCW 70.155.090 that was added last session by SHB 1496. S AMD 141.

To prohibit distribution of free tobacco samples.

To limit tobacco sampling to 21-and-older locations. H AMD 1123.

To limit the prohibition to sampling cigarettes. H AMD 1124.

To prohibit distribution of free tobacco samples.