Wisdom prevails in Colorado as Lawmakers Shelve Flavor Ban

Amanda Wheeler, President of the American Vapor Manufacturers, released the following statement today after the Colorado General Assembly stiff-armed a flavored-nicotine ban:

“Colorado rejecting the flavor ban is a signal for other jurisdictions to refocus public health efforts on what works - vaping. Nicotine vaping is the single most effective smoking cessation method ever devised. Lawmakers can learn from Colorado. Flavor bans won’t work, but promoting vape products does help adults quit smoking and keeps adults from relapsing to deadly cigarettes. 

“We prevailed in Colorado because lawmakers recognized the billionaire-backed prohibition agenda isn’t working. Dark money groups dominated the statehouse, but we had wisdom on our side. We want to thank the experts who broke down the problem and explained why vaping is a solution for adults. Our appreciation to Guy Bentley, Reason Foundation; Lindsey Stroud, The Taxpayers Protection Alliance; Tim Andrews, Americans for Tax Reform; Abigail Friedman, Yale School of Public Health; David Sweanor, University of Ottawa; Charles Gardner, International Network of Nicotine Consumer Organisations; Ethan Nadelmann, Drug Policy Alliance, and Michael Cummings, Medical University of South Carolina.

“We thank our partners who are fighting for vaping every day: The Rocky Mountain Smoke Free Alliance, especially the Pueblo based Vapor Source; Brian Fojtik of the National Association of Tobacco Outlets, the expertise of Art Way, and The Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association.”