A Senate bill in Colorado would grant counties the power to regulate or ban the sale and distribution of flavored vaping, cigarettes and other nicotine products.
Senate Bill 24-022 defines flavored nicotine and tobacco products as anything with a scent or flavor other than tobacco, including products that induce a cooling or numbing sensation.
Citing the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Rep. Kyle Brown, a sponsor of the legislation, said nearly 9 out of 10 adults who smoke every day first tried smoking “before they turned age 18.”
He said tobacco products are linked to negative health effects, including cancer, and that e-cigarettes and other vape products are “highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development.”
A similar bill was introduced during the 2022 legislative session but died in the Senate. At the time, Gov. Jared Polis said he opposed the bill because he thought the matter should be handled at a local level.