Dear Vape Shop Owner and Ally,
During the last five years, we have engaged in many battles to oppose ill-conceived, prohibition policies that ban flavored vaping products. Currently, we are in the fight of our lives against a myopic organization that wants to ban all flavored vaping products in the City and County of Denver.
The battle in Denver is the most serious because Jodi Radke from the Campaign for Tobacco for Free Kids continues to spread vicious lies about you and the responsible roles that small vape shops perform in your community to empower adults to use flavored vaping products to quit deadly cigarettes and to stay alive.
If the anti-small store vape opponents ban flavored vaping products in Denver, they will try to ban flavored vaping products in your community. We need to stand United.
We must act now!
Please do the following activities today!
Attend the Denver City Council Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee hearing (either in person or by Zoom) on November 6, 2024 at 10:30am at 1437 Bannock Street, Room 391, Denver, Colorado. This meeting date may change. I will email you on November 4 with a date confirmation.
Attend by Zoom or phone:
Zoom Link:
https://bit.ly/3yqUxde
Password: Denver
To call in to listen: 720-928-9299 and enter 928 4470 0421 for the webinar ID.
Record a video on the link below. The video will be immediately emailed to the 13 members of the Denver City Council. Keep your video short, polite, and persuasive. Suggested talking points are below.
Contact all 13 members of the Denver City Council by email and phone. The Council members’ contact information is below. Suggested talking points are below.
Contact every vape supporter you know and ask them to email, call, and record a video for the Denver City Council and Denver Mayor Johnston.
Unless we act today – the City and County of Denver will ban all flavored vaping products as early as November, 2024.
Attached please find the ill-conceived flavor ban ordinance that was recently introduced in Denver.
The Prohibition forces want to ban flavored products in Denver and then create additional flavor bans in other Colorado communities, including Aurora, Adams County, Jefferson County, Colorado Springs and statewide. We must stop their lies. We must speak truth to power.
Talking points for the email and video are below.
Contact me with any questions and please act today!
Talking Points for Recording Your Video and Email
· Flavored vaping products save adult lives! During the last 15 years, flavored vaping products have empowered 6.8 million adults quit smoking cigarettes and stay alive.
· Prohibition never works. During the last 100 years, every prohibition attempt has failed and created harm. Prohibition creates an underground market, reduces quality, and kills consumers. Failed prohibition policies include alcohol, marijuana, banning books, and a host of other attempts.
· Ineffective: Flavor bans avoid the root cause, which includes better prevention and enforcement. Law enforcement agencies estimate that over 65% of youth purchase vaping products online.
· Key Differences: Responsible small vape stores are different than Big Bad Tobacco. For example, small vape stores sell vape products with 50% - 95% less nicotine than Big Bad Tobacco corporations. Also, most small responsible vape stores sell larger, more expensive, and hard-to-conceal open tank vape products.
· Economic Impact: Vape stores and other retail establishments in Denver generate $13 million dollars in city sales tax annually. Additionally, vape stores and other retail outlets produce millions of additional dollars in federal, state, income (occupational, privilege Denver tax), and property taxes.
· Banning Causes Harm: Flavor bans bankrupt small, mom-and-pop stores, layoff hundreds of employees, reduce tax revenue, and create negative impacts. Sales tax loss, lost jobs, bankruptcy, and negative economic impact. When the City of Golden, Colorado banned flavored vaping products in 2023, three small vape stores closed their doors and laid off their entire staff.
· Solutions: There are proven, public policy best practices to reduce youth vaping without flavor bans so that responsible adults can use flavored products to quit smoking deadly cigarettes. For example, create a Special Vaping Permit for stores to pay to demonstrate that they are following strict standards, preventing youth vaping access, and generating financial resources for enforcement.
Additional solutions include only allowing 21-and-over stores to sell flavored vaping products similar to marijuana shops. Vape shop owners also support licensing requirements, marketing and advertisements bans, distance restrictions to schools, mandatory ID checks, strict enforcement practices, multiple inspections, track & trace technology, revocation of license, and stiff fines for any store that sells vaping products to minors.
Denver City Council Contact Information
Denver Mayor Michael Johnston
Work: 720-865-9090
mayorsoffice@denvergov.org
Councilwoman Diana Romero Campbell
Work: 720-337-4444
district4@denvergov.org
Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval
Work: 720-337-7701
district1@denvergov.org
Councilman Kevin Flynn
Work: 720-337-2222
kevin.flynn@denvergov.org
Councilwoman Jamie Torres
Work: 720-337-3333
district3@denvergov.org
Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer
Work: 720-337-5555
DenverCouncil5@denvergov.org
Councilman Paul Kashmann
Work: 720-337-6666
paul.kashmann@denvergov.org
Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez
Work: 720-337-7777
district7@denvergov.org
Councilwoman Shontel Lewis
Work: 720-337-8888
district8@denvergov.org
Councilman Darrell Watson
Work: 720-337-7709
district9@denvergov.org
Councilman Chris Hinds
Work: 720-337-7710
district10@denvergov.org
Councilwoman Stacie Gilmore
Work: 720-337-7711
stacie.gilmore@denvergov.org
Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez
Work: 720-337-7712
G-Gutierrez.atlarge@denvergov.org
Councilwoman Sarah Parady
Work: 720-337-7713
ParadyAtLarge@denvergov.org
Video Link
https://speak4.app/lp/ox01mnom