Washington state lawmakers are advancing a pair of bills aimed at dramatically reshaping the state’s nicotine landscape by banning flavored nicotine products and sharply increasing cigarette taxes.

House Bill 2068 and its Senate companion, SB 5803, targets items ranging from menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars to smokeless products like chewing tobacco, hookah, and oral nicotine pouches such as Zyn.

If passed, the law would outlaw any product flavored with anything other than traditional tobacco, regardless of its form or delivery method.

In addition to the flavor ban, both bills include provisions to raise cigarette taxes by $2 per pack. This would bring the state tax to $5.025, placing Washington among the states with the highest tobacco tax rates. The tax would also be indexed to inflation, adjusting every three years to keep pace with rising costs.

Alternative nicotine and vapor products — including e-cigarettes and oral nicotine pouches — would also face steep tax hikes, with rates as high as 95% of the product’s taxable sales price.

While a formal fiscal analysis has yet to be released, lawmakers estimate the proposed tax measures could bring in tens of millions of dollars annually. The funds would be earmarked for tobacco prevention and cessation programs, with the broader goal of reducing tobacco-related disease and death.

During a public hearing on Monday, Rep. Christine Reeves, the bill’s sponsor, said that while some may try to bypass the ban by purchasing products in neighboring states or on tribal lands, the focus remains on prevention.

“My goal is not to help generate revenue for Idaho or for the tribes — it’s to prevent our kids from accessing these tobacco products,” she said.

The proposal is part of a broader legislative effort to address Washington’s projected $16 billion budget shortfall over the next four years.