Denver city council considers ban on flavored tobacco sales

According to a report by Denver7 on October 28th, the leadership in the city of Denver, USA, is once again discussing the possibility of implementing a comprehensive ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products and flavored nicotine products.

The proposal was introduced by the Budget and Policy Committee of the Denver City Council on Monday. The main supporters of the proposal include city council members Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Shontel Lewis from District 8, and Darrell Watson from District 9.

According to the proposal, the legislation will "ban the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including fruit and candy flavored e-cigarettes, mint-flavored cigarettes, flavored hookah tobacco, and flavored chewing tobacco and snuff." This law covers both nicotine and tobacco products. Lawmakers note that the issue of addiction among young people is the main driving force behind this proposal.

Member of Parliament Darryl Watson stated that despite the law still needing to overcome multiple obstacles, once passed, the process to terminate the sale of these products will be immediately initiated. "If the law comes into effect, the process to ban the sale of these products will be initiated immediately," he said.

For Jeremiah Martinez, the owner of Hush Vapor, an e-cigarette shop near downtown Denver, the potential ban is a looming threat. "This would be a major blow for us," Martinez stated, "If the ordinance passes, we will have to shut down our business." Martinez has been running Hush Vapor on Santa Fe Avenue for the past four years, and claims that business has been good.

Martinez agrees that flavored tobacco and nicotine products should not be placed in the hands of minors, but he believes that a complete ban is not the right way to solve the problem. "I agree that e-cigarettes should be taken away from children, but I do not think that a ban is the right way to address this issue," he said.

This is not the first time the Denver City Council has attempted to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products. A similar ban was approved by the council in December 2021, but was vetoed by then-Mayor Michael Hancock.

Monday's proposal is the first step in implementing a ban process, which must undergo multiple reviews and receive comprehensive approval from the city council before it can become law.