NoCo Officials Working Together to Restrict Teen Tobacco Use

According to the New York Times, over one-forth of high school students who were surveyed said they had used e-cigarettes within the past 30 days.

Needless to say, kids have a relationship with these products that's similar to how generations before them smoked cigarettes, although it seems that cigarette sales are steadily declining.

As of 2019, municipalities can locally raise the age of tobacco purchase to 21 and adopt local taxes on vaping products.

The Coloradoan states that this year at least eight Colorado communities have successfully passed new taxes on e-cigarette sales.

I was surprised to learn, via the Coloradoan, that vaping retailers are more or less unregulated in Colorado, which is one of 13 states that doesn't require a license to sell tobacco or nicotine.

Through local licensing, Larimer County could enforce its own regulations by warning or fining retailers caught selling tobacco products to teens.

Fort Collins City Council member, Ken Summers, supported the age increase and licensing requirements but was hesitant about banning flavored products.

In a November 6 work session, he told staff "There's more of an issue when it comes to the flavors because there are adults who do use vaping for nicotine cessation." He went on to say, "If you just do everything, you really don’t know what's effective."

Check back for updates as this story develops.