Politics & Government
Denver Tobacco, Nicotine Purchasing Age Could Raise To 21: Report
The bill set for consideration by the city's Safety Committee also included a requirement for stores to obtain a license to sell nicotine.
DENVER, CO — The Denver City Council Safety Committee was expected to consider a proposal Wednesday from the city’s Department of Public Health and Environment to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco and vaping products in Denver from 18 to 21. According to reports, the bill also will require stores that sell tobacco, e-cigarettes and vapes with nicotine cartridges to obtain a license to sell those products.
Over the past two and a half years, the public health department sent underage kids to Denver stores to purchase cigarettes and vaping products, Denverite reports. According to the department, about 7 to 10 percent of stores sold the kids cigarettes, while 27 percent of stores sold them vaping products.
Colorado youth vape nicotine at twice the national average and at the highest rate of 37 states surveyed, according to 2018 research by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A state survey showed about half of Colorado high school students tried vaping nicotine, don’t see it as risky, and think vaping products are easy to get, even though it is illegal to purchase them as minors.
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Colorado also is one of multiple states investigating sudden and severe lung illness associated with vaping. Currently, there have been four recorded cases of vaping illness, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health.
Denver public health officials said they currently have no idea which stores sell what nicotine products, so requiring a license will curb underage sales and hold stores accountable.
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Applying for a license will require a one-time $250 application fee and then $500 if a store receives a license, Westword reports. Store owners will be required to renew their license on an annual basis based on the store's history of compliance over the previous year. A store will be charged another $500 annual fee if its license is renewed.
The city council will decide Wednesday whether to advance the bill. If the bill passes through the full council, the new age requirement will take effect when Mayor Michael Hancock signs the legislation.
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