Boulder Group Fights For Stricter E-Cigarette Rules
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) – A number of parents, health officials and Boulder Valley School District leaders are hopeful proposed regulations on the sales of electronic cigarettes will help curb use by teens. On Tuesday, a group rallied to urge Boulder City Council to take up the proposed changes and pass them.
"Thirty-three percent of Boulder High School students currently vape," said Heath Harmon, a representative at Boulder County Public Health.
Heath calls that statistic concerning because it's among the highest in the state. It's also alarming to Merlyn Holmes, who is now having conversations about e-cigarette use with her 12-year-old son.
"Friends or friends of friends are talking about vaping and talking about experimenting with it. So from the moment he entered junior high, there was a lot of talk and experimenting with it," Holmes explained.
She and many others support new proposed regulations that include a ban of all flavors, raising the legal age of purchase to 21, and a 40% tax on e-cigarette products paired with a tax of 15 cents per cigarette.
"This isn't theoretical," said Harmon. "This is actually hard sciences that demonstrates for every 10% of an increase in the price of the product, we can expect a decrease in youth use and initiation by seven."
In response, Boulder Vapor House has cut prices on flavored products by 25%.
"It is completely about awareness of what's going on," explained owner, Ginger Tanner.
Tanner, who has owned the business in the city's University Hill area for six years, said she actually supports changing the age limit and reasonably raising taxes.
What she doesn't agree with is the ban of flavored e-cigarette products. According to Tanner, the vast majority of her adult customers purchase flavored liquids.
Tanner believes the problem of underage use could be fixed without regulations that will force legitimate customers to businesses in other cities.
"If there's no enforcement, like there currently is within the city limits, this problem, even with any ban of flavors or going 21 and over, is going to continue," Tanner said.
Ultimately, it's all up to Boulder City Council, which could be among the first in Colorado to make such wide-spanning, restrictive changes. The city of Aspen passed a similar ban on flavored nicotine products earlier this year. It goes into effect Jan. 1.
Supporters tell CBS4 the council is expected to vote on the tax increase on Sept. 5. They said votes on the flavor ban and age limit change aren't scheduled until Sept. 17.