The city of Aspen is drafting an ordinance that would ban all flavored tobacco sales within town limits, including menthol cigarettes and many types of chew and vaping products.
City council members expressed full support of the measure, which would not need to go to voters to be enacted, at a work session on Tuesday.
The initiative is being led by Risa Turetsky with Pitkin County Public Health and Dr. Kim Levin, medical officer for the Pitkin County Board of Health. Levin helped pass Aspen’s tobacco retail licence ordinance in 2017, which restricted sales to those over 21 years old and imposed new local taxes.
Levin said flavored tobacco products are a clear manipulation to hook young customers.
“Once a child is addicted to nicotine they are a lifetime customer,” she said.
The measure would be an update to Aspen’s existing retail license regulations, and would affect a handful of businesses in town.
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