Court upholds stay on ban of flavored tobacco, vapes, cigarettes

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- A court has upheld a stay on Multnomah County's ban on flavored vapes, chewing tobacco and cigarettes.

That means those products will still be available for the time being.

The Court of Appeals said Wednesday the ban will not go into effect like it was scheduled to on Monday, January 1.

When the ban was originally adopted last year, county leaders like then-Commissioner Susheela Jayapal said “way too many children, young people are still getting access to the products.”

Deborah Kafoury, the former commissioner who was the board chair at the time, agreed that the ban would “save people’s lives” and that it would deter teenagers today from ever starting on tobacco or vape products.

Meanwhile, some local businesses who are looking ahead and thinking about the future say they want to stay open during the battle in court.

“We have seven locations in Multnomah County,” Angelina Rizhuk, the manager for House of Pipes, told KOIN 6 News. “They would lay off close to like 60 employees. And this is their way of you know, feeding their families.”

The court will hear from both sides on the issue, and then decide whether to extend the stay.

This is a developing story. Stay with KOIN 6 News for more updates.