Most Aspen High School seniors have tried vaping, or using e-cigarettes, according to a survey. Teens throughout the Roaring Fork Valley vape at alarming rates, which are high for Colorado, which already has the highest rate of vaping in the U.S.
To combat the widespread use of e-cigarettes, Aspen City Council wants to ban the sale of allflavored tobacco products.
The thinking is that the flavors, including varieties like crème brûlée and bubblegum, attract younger users, who get hooked on the products, which contain nicotine, and become lifelong users.
But Aspen's proposed bangoes further than outlawing e-cigarettes; it also bans menthol cigarettes.
Council is coordinating with tobacco retailers to get feedback. Though council hasn’t crafted precise language for the ban, there is unanimous support.