As parents, educators, and health care providers, we are personally invested in the issue of flavored tobacco, including e-cigarettes. We have seen the harm caused by vaping addiction in kids, at home, in the classroom, and in our medical facilities. Nicotine can have long-lasting effects on brain development, impacting impulse control, the ability to learn […]
e-cigarettes
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Denver must end the sale of flavored tobacco products that lure and addict youth
Colorado prides itself on being a state of health-conscious outdoor enthusiasts with low obesity rates and access to quality medical care. Our largest city, Denver, is consistently ranked in the top 10 healthiest cities in the United States. But looming behind that facade is a deadly secret: Nearly one out of five Denver youth are […]
Posted inBusiness, Crime and Courts, Health, News
Colorado attorney general sues Juul, claims vape company marketed to kids and downplayed health risks
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said Tuesday he has filed a lawsuit against Juul that alleges the vaping company marketed its products to kids and downplayed their health risks. Weiser is also accusing Juul of falsely suggesting its vaping products are a healthy smoking alternative and can help people quit using cigarettes. Weiser’s office has […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Teen vaping cannot be Colorado’s new normal. This is a preventable epidemic
Just when I thought we were making significant strides at preventing teens from smoking traditional tobacco, the tobacco industry invented vaping and Colorado’s teen vaping epidemic ensued. I have had to change my practice, the questions I ask my patients, and the counseling I offer because the tobacco industry has been very successful at getting […]
Posted inBusiness, Health, News, Politics and Government
Colorado lawmakers will weigh in 2020 whether to ban flavored vaping products
State Rep. Yadira Caraveo plans to introduce legislation in the coming weeks to ban flavored vaping products as a way to curb what officials say are crisis levels of teen e-cigarette use in Colorado. “These flavors are targeted toward children, and really are meant, in my opinion, as a way to addict a new generation […]
Posted inBusiness, News, Politics and Government
Could a new nicotine tax pay for free preschool in Colorado? Advocates want to ask voters in November.
Colorado voters could decide this November whether to fund free preschool for 4-year-olds statewide by taxing tobacco and vaping products. On Friday, two citizens took the first step toward putting the question on November’s ballot, filing more than a dozen possible versions with the state’s Office of Legislative Council, which reviews potential initiatives before sending […]
Posted inHealth, News, Politics and Government
Colorado communities do what state lawmakers wouldn’t: Raise taxes on cigarettes, vaping products
A cluster of health-conscious communities, mostly in the Colorado mountains, passed measures Tuesday that took aim at the youth vaping epidemic. Eight cities and counties asked voters to increase taxes on tobacco, including electronic cigarettes and vaping products. And the proposed taxes were hefty — $3 to $4 per pack of cigarettes and 40% on […]
Posted inNews, Politics and Government
Colorado’s attorney general will investigate whether Juul marketed to kids, misled on smoking cessation
Colorado’s attorney general says he will investigate whether Juul marketed e-cigarettes to children and positioned its products as smoking cessation devices without any basis for the claim. Democrat Phil Weiser announced in August, as first reported by Colorado Public Radio, that he was launching a probe of Juul. He said the investigation falls under his […]
Posted inOpinion, Opinion Columns
Opinion: Boulder misses the mark on e-cigarettes
Everyone is concerned about the uptick in teen vaping. But too often the regulatory response is misguided, which makes it harder for adult smokers to quit, and threatens to undo decades of work done to reduce teen smoking. Boulder, like many other states and municipalities, is considering an e-cigarette flavor ban. This would prohibit the […]
Posted inHealth, Opinion, Opinion Columns, Politics and Government
Opinion: Placing vape devices under Clean Indoor Air Act will help public health. But more must be done.
Sitting in a lecture hall at the University of Colorado at Boulder, diligently typing notes about sociological theories, I suddenly got distracted by a cloud billowing up in front of me. My initial thought was pure panic — FIRE! — until the smoke wafted in my direction and I breathed in the unmistakable scent of…tropical […]