Denver Will Ban Flavored Vapes and Nicotine Pouches

The Denver City Council voted 11-1 Monday night to ban the sale of flavored vapes and nicotine pouches, along with menthol cigarettes, and flavored cigars and smokeless tobacco. The law will allow the sale of flavored hookah products and all unflavored combustible cigarettes.

The flavor ban will take effect 90 days after Mayor Mike Johnston signs it into law. Johnston has said he fully supports the ban. 

The law will affect about 550 Denver retail stores, according to Denverite. 

Retailers led opposition to the ban, and found an unlikely ally in the editorial board of the city's major daily newspaper, the Denver Post, which published an editorial deriding the proposal. The paper called on the council to instead do “the real work to keep vapes out of the hands of teens through tough enforcement on licensed sellers and education.”

But that wasn’t enough to convince council members, who couldn't pass up the easy opportunity to earn plaudits from tobacco control activists and public health crusaders for their votes. The Denver School Board had passed a proclamation calling on the council to ban flavored products, and the ordinance was promoted by its supporters as a way to protect helpless children.

Three years ago, the Denver City Council passed a similar ban, but it was vetoed by then-mayor Michael Hancock, who said it would hurt Denver businesses without actually ridding the city of flavored vapes and menthol cigarettes. 

Six U.S. states and many cities have passed flavored vape bans, including several smaller Colorado cities.