Support Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategies

Ending the Sale of all Flavored Tobacco Products: The tobacco industry markets fruit and candy flavored products, including menthol cigarettes, to youth, African Americans, American Indians, the LGBTQ+ community, and other specific populations. ACS CAN supports legislation to end the sale of menthol cigarettes and all other commercial flavored tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, flavored cigars, hookah, and smokeless tobacco.

•  Defend state and local smoke-free laws: Defend and promote the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act (CCIAA). The CCIAA first passed in 2006 and was subsequently amended to include casinos in 2008 and e-cigarettes and DIA in 2019. It is essential that the CCIAA be maintained to protect the health of all Colorado residents. Many Colorado communities also have local ordinances that model or go beyond the state law.

• Protect funding for state tobacco control and cessation programs, including the Colorado Quitline: The Quitline is the one statewide cessation program that is available to all residents regardless of location or socioeconomic status. ACS CAN supports full constitutionally and statutorily directed annual funding for tobacco prevention and cessation programs and will work to ensure any revenue collected from the state’s Juul lawsuit is dedicated to proven, evidence-based tobacco prevention and cessation programs.
• Protect and promote the comprehensive implementation of state and local Tobacco 21 and Tobacco Retail Licensing and enforcement laws. ACS CAN successfully advocated in 2020 for passage of the first statewide tobacco and nicotine product retail licensing and enforcement statute, as well as a Tobacco 21 law.  ACS CAN and it’s tobacco control partners continue to monitor the full build out of comprehensive enforcement capabilities and advocate for the passage of local ordinances underscore the effectiveness of the state laws.
• Protect and promote state and local tobacco taxes. Tobacco excise tax increases are one of the most effective ways to reduce smoking and other tobacco use, especially among kids. Colorado voters have passed two statewide tobacco tax increase measures since 2004. The latest increase measure - in 2020 - included for the first time, taxes on e-cigarette products and for all tobacco and nicotine products sold via the internet. The current cigarette tax is $1.94 per pack. On July 1, 2024, the cigarette tax will increase to $2.24 a pack and then rise to $2.64 in July 2027. Other tobacco and nicotine products are taxed at 50% of their manufacturer's list price. Several local communities also levy their own tobacco product taxes.