It’s a Tuesday morning on East Colfax and there’s a rally outside a shop called Myxed Up Creations, which sells vapes, pipes and flavored tobacco products. About a dozen people are waving signs urging Denver voters to vote no on Referendum 310. The organizers of the rally want to repeal the ban on sales of flavored tobacco products.
They say a no vote will save jobs and keep millions of dollars in tax money in the city’s coffers, arguing it comes down to a matter of personal choice for adults — even if vaporizer flavors like strawberry, pink lemonade and menthol seem likely to appeal to youth.
“Adults have rights too. Yep. And this is one of the rights they're trying to take away. And we all have rights. Adults like cotton candy, adults like flavored vapes. We all like a little bit of flavor,” said Kyle Manibusan, an assistant manager at Myxed Up Creations.
The Denver City Council banned the sales in December and Mayor Mike Johnston signed it into law. Council President Amanda Sandoval shared her story about tobacco and nicotine’s impact on generations of her family and is fighting to keep the ban now.
Opponents early this year started a petition drive to challenge the ban and successfully gathered nearly 11,000 valid signatures, enough to put the repeal on the ballot this year. A no vote on Referendum 310 would repeal the ban; yes would keep the ban in place.
