DENVER (KDVR) — A proposal that is struggled to turn out to be regulation on the state and metropolis stage lately is again. Group teams are pushing for Denver Metropolis Council members to cross a ban on flavored tobacco gross sales within the metropolis.
The Denver Public Faculty Board of Schooling is supporting an effort urging the town council to cross a ban on flavored tobacco gross sales in Denver, believing they could have the help they would wish for it to turn out to be regulation this time round.
“If our younger folks aren’t wholesome, they can not be taught. So, on the finish of the day, it is about what’s finest for our youngsters and that is what I am all the time going to advocate for,” stated Scott Esserman, DPS Faculty Board At-Giant Director.
The board handed a proclamation Thursday evening, calling on the Metropolis Council to ban the sale of flavored tobacco within the Metropolis and County of Denver.
“We have seen it in our faculties the place it is an growing downside in loos and the place numerous our faculty directors and academics are in truth seeing vastly elevated use that matches statistics that we will see,” Esserman stated.
In line with the CDC, teen vaping is down with 5.9 % of center and highschool college students reportedly utilizing tobacco merchandise in 2024 in comparison with 10 % in 2023. Outlets that promote these merchandise are required by regulation to examine I.D. playing cards to confirm prospects are 21 or over. Companies have lengthy stated flavored tobacco bans punish their trade.
“Our precedence is our college students. If which means that there’s a small enterprise that has a tough time because of that, that’s unlucky and I am sorry. I am nonetheless going to advocate for what’s finest for our youngsters.”
The NIH experiences teen medication has held regular over the previous two years. FOX31 questioned if Denver faculties are seeing college students use these substances and if the board wished to crack down on these. Esserman stated tobacco gadgets are completely different.
“If you are going to use marijuana in school, you are going to smoke it. Individuals are gonna know. If you happen to’re consuming breath, you are going to have to cover it someplace. However a vape pen or couple of cartridges, they’re simple to cover. And there’s no proof that you have used it until you might be really caught within the act. So I believe there’s a important downside right here, one we will handle rather well,” stated Esserman.
Simply as just lately as this 12 months, lawmakers on the state capitol introduced ahead a proposal to ban the sale of flavored tobacco statewide. Gov. Polis has repeatedly stated he believes permitting the sale of these things is a call finest dealt with on the native stage. This 12 months’s effort on the state capitol failed in addition to an effort in 2022. Again in 2021, Denver Metropolis Council really handed a flavored tobacco ban nevertheless it was vetoed by then-Mayor Michael Hancock. Esserman hopes there can be a unique outcome this time round.
“There’s a neighborhood push for this. Members of the Colorado Black Roundtable and a few different Latino neighborhood teams actually advocated strongly for this. So I believe it is much less concerning the change in management and extra about it is time to act. It is time to make a press release about this and do one thing about this,” stated Esserman.
FOX31 was instructed Metropolis Councilmembers Shontel Lewis and Darrell Watson are engaged on the laws. They had been tied up in finances hearings and had been unable to speak with us concerning the proposal on Friday. We reached out to Mayor Mike Johnston’s workforce to ask if he would help the laws, however we didn’t hear again.
