[BoulderCouncilHotline] Proposed Policy Agenda Position Re: Vaping

[Castillo, Carl]

Council Members Young and Brockett,

Highlighted below in red is language proposed to address the issues you discussed related to the city's position on e-cigarette use. Council will consider adding this position to the city's Regional, State and Federal Policy Agenda on Dec. 3rd. Please make any further changes you deem necessary and reply to all on Hotline so that other council members may weigh in as necessary.
Discourage e-cigarette and tobacco use, particularly among youth

In the past few years, a public health crisis has emerged with regard to vaping and nicotine addiction among youth across the United States. Colorado and Boulder County youth have been hit particularly hard. High school youth in the Boulder Valley School District are using e-cigarettes at rates higher than the state and national average (33 percent compared to 26 percent and 13 percent respectively) according to data from the 2017 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. Far more alarming trends have begun to emerge since the summer of 2019, where several hundred cases of a vaping-related illness have been reported across the nation, with 33 fatal cases as of October 1, 2019. The city has taken steps to ban flavored vapor products and increase the sales age for tobacco and nicotine-containing products to 21 years. In addition, the city referred a tax measure on vaping products to the voters in 2019 which passed by a 60 percent margin, demonstrating clear public support for policies to reduce youth vaping. However, to truly tackle this health crisis, it will require the support of the state and federal government. Therefore, while acknowledging that some individuals turn to vaping as a smoking cessation device, the city supports changes at the state and federal level that would:


a)     Increase the age to buy tobacco and nicotine-containing products to 21;

b)     Ban flavored tobacco products; and

c)      Tax vaping devices and an increased tax on all other tobacco products.

Carl Castillo
Policy Advisor
[CMO_lockup_COBlogo]
O: # 303-441-3009
C: # 303-859-4504
castilloc at bouldercolorado.gov<mailto:castilloc at bouldercolorado.gov>

City Manager's Office
1777 Broadway | Boulder, CO 80302
https://bouldercolorado.gov/intergovernmental-affairs

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