Bill to Regulate Flavored Tobacco Goes Up in Smoke, Blame Democrats
Once again, Colorado Democrats have shown their ability to quickly devalue public health and the well-being of their constituents by killing a bill that would have regulated flavored tobacco.
The bill, SB24-022, was killed in committee following more than 140 high-powered lobbyists pressured, sweet talked, and twisted the arms of Capitol Democrats. This is the second time in three sessions that such a bill has failed to pass in the state's Democratic-controlled General Assembly.
According to language inside the bill, it would have empowered county commissioners to ban flavored tobacco and nicotine products, giving local communities the authority to protect their residents from the dangers of these appealing and addictive products.
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However, the House Business Affairs & Labor Committee voted 6-5 against the bill. And according to members of the House Republican Caucus, some lawmakers on the left expressed their deep concerns about the bills potential impact on local businesses – a rare conclusion from the liberal Democrat majority.
Several Capitol Republicans said it was disheartening to see legislators prioritizing the profits of businesses over the health and safety of their constituents, especially when it comes to protecting teen from products specifically targeted at them.
Representative Elizabeth Velasco, the bill's sponsor, appealed to her colleagues to consider the well-being of children before the vote. According to the reporting of Colorado Public Radio, Rep. Velasco rightly pointed out that choosing to listen to the tobacco lobby has been a long-standing pattern in Colorado.
It is obviously time for lawmakers to put the interests of their constituents, particularly the younger generation, ahead of the influence of powerful lobbying groups.
Tobacco heavyweights like PMI, RJ Reynolds America, and Altria, represented by lobbying powerhouse Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, hired lobbyists to oppose the legislation. Names that were confirmed by the GOP staff.
On the other side, according to the Colorado Secretary of State website, anti-tobacco organizations such as the Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, along with health groups like the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians, Colorado Hospital Association, and Kaiser Permanente, hired lobbyists to support the bill.
It is concerning for many that powerful tobacco and business interests seem to hold more sway than public health and the protection of children.
The statistics speak for themselves.
Over 80% of youth and young adult tobacco users reported using flavored tobacco, and three-fourths of flavored product users said they would no longer use the product if it was not flavored, according to the National Institute of Health. The potential for substantial reductions in the prevalence of young people's tobacco use, particularly e-cigarettes, exists if flavors were removed from tobacco products.
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Committee chair Judy Amabile rightly emphasized the importance of public health and giving counties the authority to regulate flavored tobacco, as cities already have, according to a quote from Colorado Public Radio. She highlighted the responsibility of adults to protect children and shared her personal experience as a parent of three smokers, who started early and switched to vaping, mistakenly thinking it was a healthier alternative.
It is clear that the bill's opponents fail to recognize the urgency of addressing the rising rates of vaping among young adults in Colorado. They overlook the fact that banning flavored tobacco products would make it harder for young people to access these harmful substances and help reduce the prevalence of tobacco use among the youth.
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