DENVER — Denver city leaders are once again exploring the possibility of banning flavored tobacco products, including flavored nicotine products.
The proposal, which was presented to the Denver City Council's Budget and Policy Committee on Monday, is sponsored by At-Large City Council Member Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Council Member Shontel Lewis (District 8), and Council Member Darrell Watson (District 9).
According to a presentation, the ordinance would "prohibit the sale of all flavored tobacco products, including fruit and candy flavored e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, flavored hookah tobacco and flavored chew and pouches." The ordinance would include nicotine products as well as tobacco products.
Council members cite addiction among kids as the leading reason for the proposal.
Council Member Watson said while this ordinance has several more hurdles to clear, immediate action would follow.
"What this will do if enacted, it will immediately begin a process of ending those sales," he said.
It's a scary possibility for Jeremiah Martinez, who owns Hush Vapor, a vape shot near downtown Denver.
"That's a slap in the face to us," Martinez said. "If that does go through it, it would run us out of business."
Martinez has owned Hush Vapor on Santa Fe Drive for the past four years and said business has been good.
"We actually just put in a new drive-thru window in the store to do sales, and people can just walk up and buy purchases right there," he said.
While Martinez doesn't sell flavored tobacco products, like e-cigarettes, he and his staff do sell flavored nicotine products. He told Denver7 that a potential ban worries him.
"That is our top seller in the vape shops," he told Denver7
The shop owner agrees that flavored tobacco and nicotine products should be kept out of children's hands but he doesn't think an outright ban would solve the issue.
"I agree we need to get the vapes out of these kids' hands, but I don't think a ban is the correct way to do this," he said.
This is not the first time the Denver City Council has tried to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products. The council approved a ban in Dec. 2021 but it was vetoed by then-Mayor Michael Hancock.
Watch our previous coverage in the video player below:
Monday's presentation was the first step in the process for a potential ban. The ordinance would have to clear several more hurdles, including full city council approval, before becoming law.
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