DENVER (KDVR) — Denver voters are deciding whether to keep or repeal the city’s ban on flavored tobacco products.
Referendum 310 asks whether Denver should continue enforcing the ban or overturn it. A “yes” vote keeps the ban in place, while a “no” vote repeals it.
Local businesses push to repeal ban
The No on 310 campaign — supported by hundreds of family-run convenience stores — argues the city’s flavored tobacco ban unfairly punishes adult smokers and small businesses that rely on those sales.
Supporters of No on 310 say the ban could force more than 100 small businesses to close and cost the city roughly $13 million a year in lost tax revenue.
Caleb Brown, who works at Broadway Smoke Shop, said the impact would go beyond his bottom line.
“It would affect our business as far as contributing to the community. We host drives to help the homeless as well as giving back whether it be food, whatever the people need. It would be affecting the employees the most. I feel we won’t be able to make a comfortable living like we are now.”
Brown continued, saying: “I think they should think about not only the community but also what comes next. I mean your rights are being stripped away. You have a voice and I think we should also think about other people’s choices and how that affects them as well… and I don’t know — I just think we should vote no.”
Advocates say flavored tobacco hooks kids early
Supporters of the Yes on 310 campaign say repealing the ban would roll back hard-won protections for children. They argue flavored tobacco products are specifically designed to appeal to young people and serve as “a pipeline to addiction.”
Jodi Radke, regional director for the Rocky Mountain-Great Plains Region with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told FOX31 that flavors make it easier for kids to get hooked.
“Most kids are trying them 12, 13, 14, and what happens at that age is it hardwires them for addiction. So when they become an adult and they have an ability to choose, by that point they are already addicted and a lifelong user.”
“They range in flavors from root beer float to banana split, some come with video games — they are a catalyst for use by our kids. Four or five kids tell us they are experimenting with tobacco and nicotine products because they are flavored, and this is the way the industry works to get kids to try their products.”
According to the Yes on 310 campaign, eight in ten kids who have ever used tobacco started with a flavored product, and nicotine exposure during adolescence can harm brain development, attention, and mood.
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
