§ 131.604 Disposition of forfeited cigarettes

When cigarettes get taken away because someone broke the law under ORS 180.440(2), the agency that seized them has to destroy the cigarettes. This is different from the usual rules that apply to other forfeited property.

Normally, when police or other agencies seize property in a criminal case, there are standard steps for what happens to it, like selling it or putting it to other use. But this rule says cigarettes are treated differently. They can't be sold, kept, or reused. The agency that took them must get rid of them completely.

This rule exists because these cigarettes were involved in a specific violation tied to warning requirements or similar rules under ORS 180.440. The law wants to make sure these cigarettes don't end up back in circulation or sold to anyone, even by the government. Destroying them is the only option allowed.