{"id":488,"date":"2025-03-20T11:01:45","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T12:01:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spanishliteratureintranslation.com\/?p=488"},"modified":"2025-03-27T12:14:22","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T12:14:22","slug":"opinion-dont-let-big-tobacco-reverse-denvers-ban-on-flavored-nicotine-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/spanishliteratureintranslation.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/20\/opinion-dont-let-big-tobacco-reverse-denvers-ban-on-flavored-nicotine-products\/","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Don\u2019t let Big Tobacco reverse Denver\u2019s ban on flavored nicotine products\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Which personal story convinced 11 Denver City Council members to stand up to the tobacco industry and end the sale of their deadly, kid-friendly flavored products back in December<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Isaac, a high-school student council president, spoke about his mother whom he lost to a tobacco-related illness. Casiah talked about her grandmother, a revered leader known as the \u2018moral compass\u2019 of Denver Public Schools, who called out institutional racism. She also succumbed to illness from tobacco. Rafael read online about the proposal to end flavored tobacco sales and made his way to city council meetings to show support.<\/p>\n

These local teens know how easy it\u2019s been to access flavored vapes, menthol cigarettes, and other candy-tasting tobacco products. They know the tobacco industry has one goal \u2013 to attract kids, addict them to nicotine and create lifelong customers.<\/p>\n

During the council\u2019s final vote, several members shared their own stories of addiction and loss because of tobacco.<\/p>\n

Now the tobacco industry is trying to reverse this enormous victory. The industry is backing a battle against all Denver residents, collecting signatures for a ballot issue that would ask voters to reverse the Council\u2019s vote to end the sale of flavored tobacco and nicotine products.<\/p>\n

To be clear, the Council\u2019s nearly unanimous decision was the right one. Flavored tobacco products are intentionally designed to hook kids on nicotine, creating addictions that can lead to a lifetime of use \u2013 and guaranteed profits for tobacco companies.<\/p>\n

Tobacco shop’s and the industry\u2019s attempt to repeal Council action isn\u2019t just poor policy \u2013 it\u2019s a cynical ploy to use small business owners as the face of a campaign to keep Denver kids trying \u2013 and buying \u2013 nicotine.<\/p>\n

Nearly 90% of youth e-cigarette users use kid-friendly flavored products like cotton candy, gummy bear, pink lemonade, and bubblegum. They are more addictive than ever, with some e-cigarettes containing as much or more nicotine than 200 cigarettes in one device.<\/p>\n

When the new law is implemented this month and these products finally come off store shelves, Denver will be taking a tremendous step toward decreasing tobacco use. This is particularly important in communities that have been targeted and exploited by Big Tobacco for decades, including Black, Latino and Indigenous Americans, the LGBTQ+ community and immigrant populations.<\/p>\n

Tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death and disease among all Americans, but Black Americans suffer the greatest burden of tobacco-related mortality, with smoking claiming more than 50,000 Black lives every year. Menthol cigarettes, which have been aggressively targeted to Black communities for decades, are the leading driver of tobacco-related health disparities. They are easier to start, more addictive, harder to quit and one of the main reasons kids start using cigarettes.<\/p>\n

Recent polling has shown that nearly two-thirds of Denver voters support ending the sale of flavored tobacco. More than 100 organizations endorsed the ordinance, including the Board of Denver Public Schools, Children\u2019s Hospital Colorado, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, Kaiser Permanente and the University of Colorado School of Medicine.<\/p>\n