DENVER — The push to sell flavored tobacco products in Denver continues even thoughDenver City Council voted 11-1to ban the sale of flavored tobacco products within city limits in December. Opponents of the ban are now trying to overturn this decision which would go into effect on March 18, 2025, by having voters instead decide on the measure in November.
Owner of Myxed Up Creations Phil Guerin is fighting to keep flavored tobacco products on the shelves and inform the community of the impact this decision will have on small businesses. He worked with several others to file paperwork with the city clerk and recorder's office and received approval for the circulation of petitions.
"We really are advocates for our customers and advocating doing things in a safe way, and we've been able to, to really stay ahead of these trends," Guerin said. "But we are not the problem, and we really regret being blamed for this whole situation and we are not big tobacco. We are family-owned businesses that are just trying to survive in an anti-small business climate that's been created by municipal government."
Signs saying "Stop The Ban" are visible to customers shopping inside Myxed Up Creations as the business, along with others throughout the city, are working to collect enough signatures to overturn the ban. Guerin said so far, the group has already have collected over 2,000 signatures.
"The greatest thing that's happened is small businesses across the entire Denver city limits, we've all come together," Guerin explained. "Before, we were all kind of rivals and we were all competing against each other, and now we've all come together to really fight this misinformation and this ban."
Those in support of the flavored tobacco ban like Ozzie Grenardo, a family medicine doctor and board member for the American Heart Association's Denver chapter, hope people realize the ban will block flavored tobacco products from getting into the hands of young people.
"We know that if you are not using tobacco products before the age of 25, that you're probably not going to have issues with becoming addicted to it later on. So if we can protect those people who are under 25 from even starting, that is one of our goals, especially with the bill and the law that was passed by the Denver City Council," Grenardo said.
He explained that when tobacco products go into the body, it has a direct effect on heart disease. Grenardo hopes voters will remember the ban will decrease accessibility to these products and hopefully improve young people's health.
"I was surprised and shocked that they were coming back after this, to repeal it for a vote through a ballot initiative and so for me, I'm really hopeful that the public is going to share the same sentiment," explained Grenardo. "We need to block these tobacco products from getting in the hands of younger people and by doing that, decreasing the number of people who can have access to flavored tobacco products is the right way to go."
By March 19, 2025, the group must collect 9,494 valid signatures for the city's election division to deem the petition sufficient. The petition must be signed by residents of the City and County of Denver and registered to vote in Denver.
"We think this will be on the ballot in November and we're excited for a campaign, and we're really excited to inform the public because there has been so much bad information put out there about this is really big tobacco doing this...It's actually small business people that are being responsible and really trying to do the responsible thing and give adults the right to choose an alternative to smoking cigarettes," Guerin said.
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