As specialists who treat addiction, we have seen firsthand the harmful effects that flavored tobacco products can have on the patients we serve and the public at large.

While efforts to ban flavored nicotine products have stalled in the state legislature, Denver City Council is poised to protect public health right now by enacting a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco products. This is a sound policy that should be implemented as quickly as possible to reduce flavored tobacco use.

Simply put, flavored tobacco products are harmful to public health, specifically young people. The unfortunate truth is that younger populations are increasingly targeted as major consumers of these products. And while traditional cigarette smoking continues to decrease among American teens, elevated use of flavored e-cigarettes remains a major concern. According to 2023 national estimates, e-cigarettes were the most used tobacco product among middle and high school aged students. In our state, an estimated 16% of high school students report using e-cigarettes, higher than the national average. Tobacco flavor bans have been shown to decrease in youth tobacco use and initiation, stemming the tide of rising use among young people.

Additionally, there is a risk that e-cigarette use will lead to future combustible tobacco use. And while tobacco use has decreased in the general population, prevalence is higher in minority groups, including those with low socioeconomic status and mental health disorders. According to estimates, people with lower incomes are more likely to consume flavored tobacco products like menthol cigarettes. As such, these products while harmful themselves can also lead to the use of other tobacco products. It is in our city’s interest to take steps to reduce this trend.

Finally, there is controversy over the potential effectiveness of e-cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy and for smoking cessation. However, the evidence of benefits of e-cigarettes is not conclusively established. Additionally, there are seven Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications to treat addiction to nicotine. Improving the accessibility of proven medications should be prioritized over unproven means like flavored tobacco products. Coloradans interested in being tobacco free using evidence-based methods can contact the Colorado QuitLine or call 1800-QUIT-NOW.

For these reasons, we strongly support this proposal and are grateful to Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Shontel M. Lewis, and Darrell Watson for its introduction.

We encourage the other members of the Denver City Council and Mayor Mike Johnston to also support this proposal.

Stephanie Stewart, MD, MPHS, FASAM, Hannan Braun, MD, FASAM, and Trissana DeLeon are members of the Colorado Society of Addiction Medicine.