DENVER — When Denver voters hit the polls, they’ll have the final say on whether the city should keep or overturn its ban on flavored tobacco products.
Meanwhile, the fight intensifies as both sides ramp up Saturday morning voter outreach.
The ordinance to ban flavored tobacco products was first approved by the Denver City Council in an 11-1 vote last December.
But after pushback and petitions from business owners, the issue is now in voters’ hands.
A "yes" vote on Referendum 310 means you support keeping Denver’s ban on flavored tobacco products.
In September, Michael Bloomberg donated more than $1.5 million to the campaign Denver Kids vs. Big Tobacco to uphold the ban.
Backers of the ban gathered at New Hope Baptist Church on Saturday morning ahead of door-knocking efforts to ramp up voter outreach.
They said it all comes down to reducing access for Denver kids and teens.
“I think the more that youth understand the targeting that's happened from the industry to themselves and their peers, I think it’s really motivated them to be a vocal advocate on behalf of this issue,” said Jodi Radke, regional director for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.
Dozens of Denver high schoolers were part of Saturday’s door-knocking efforts, telling Denver7 they see the products their classmates use regularly.
“A lot of people are harmed by it, all the chemicals in there, and they don't know how bad it is for them,” said Demba Dath, a senior at Regis Groff High School.
A few miles away, meanwhile, a different sort of voter outreach effort got underway -- vape shop owners held signs on 16th Street to voice their side of the issue.
“I just really felt that it was a huge overreach from the city council to just push this ban through without taking reasonable considerations about small businesses, adult choice, the revenue that will be lost to other cities,” said Kristen Hensel, owner of Rusty’s Vape and Smoke Shop.
A "no" vote on Referendum 310 means you want to overturn the current ban on flavored tobacco products.
Hensel echoes the concerns of hundreds of other vape shop owners across the city who say the ban would negatively impact their small businesses and income.
Hensel said products for those 21 and over make up most sales, and the ban could close many shops.
That's why they're waving signs and making thousands of calls ahead of November 4.
“This is a fight between local people. So we only have our local money, and we're not rich, so we are just calling people all day, every day,” said Mike Wing, owner of King Smoke and Vape Shop.
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