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Denver, Colorado, Referendum 310, Ban Sale of Flavored Tobacco Products Referendum (2025)

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Denver Referendum 310

Flag of Colorado.png

Election date

November 4, 2025

Topic
Local tobacco
Status

On the ballot

Type
Referendum

Denver Referendum 310 is on the ballot as a referendum in Denver on November 4, 2025.

A "yes" vote is a vote to retain a city law that bans the sale of flavored tobacco products within the city.

A "no" vote is a vote to repeal a city law that bans the sale of flavored tobacco products within the city.


Election results

Denver Referendum 310

Result Votes Percentage
Yes 0 0.00%
No 0 0.00%


Overview

What would the ballot measure do?

See also: Text of measure

Referendum 310 would approve Council Bill No. 24-1765, passed by the Denver City Council which bans the sale of flavored tobacco products in the city and county limits.[1]

What products would be banned if the referendum passes?

The bill defines flavored tobacco products as any tobacco product that "imparts a cooling sensation, numbing sensation, taste, or smell, other than the taste or smell of tobacco, that is distinguishable by an ordinary consumer either prior to or during the consumption of a tobacco product."[1] It also clarifies that a tobacco product is not defined as flavored "solely because of the use of additives or flavorings or the provision of ingredient information."[1]

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Referendum 310 is as follows:

Shall the voters of the City and County of Denver retain ordinance number 24-1765, entitled "A bill for an ordinance amending Chapters 24 and 34 of the Denver Revised Municipal Code regarding the sale of tobacco products including flavored tobacco products," which prohibits the sale of flavored tobaссо products by retail tobacco stores?

Full Text

The full text of this measure is available here.


Support for the ban

Logo-310.png

Yes for Denver Kids is leading the campaign in support of the "yes" vote to retain the ban.[2] A full list of organizations that support the Yes for Denver Kids coalition can be found on their website.

Supporters

Corporations

  • Kaiser Permanente

Organizations

  • African Leadership Group
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Colorado Chapter
  • American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
  • American Heart Association
  • American Lung Association
  • Children's Hospital Colorado
  • Clayton Early Learning
  • Colorado Cancer Coalition
  • Colorado Dental Association
  • Colorado Medical Society
  • Healthier Colorado
  • NAACP Colorado Montana Wyoming State-Area Conference
  • NAACP Denver
  • Servicios de la Raza
  • University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine


Arguments

  • Nick Torres, Colorado advocacy director for the American Lung Association: "Flavors like Raspberry Chill and Root Beer Float have been a gateway for new tobacco users for years – especially for kids. 310 will protect kids from becoming the next victims of tobacco addiction."
  • Yes for Denver Kids: "Flavored tobacco poses a serious threat to the health of Denver’s kids. Vaping devices can deliver massive doses of addictive nicotine and toxic chemicals like formaldehyde and lead. Over 40% of high-school e-cigarette users are frequent or daily users. This means they aren’t just experimenting with flavored tobacco products. They’re addicted. Many don’t even realize that nicotine harms brain development, attention, impulse control and mood. The U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that youth use of nicotine in any form, including e-cigarettes, is unsafe."
  • Jodi Radke of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids: "The tobacco industry knows that 95 percent of adults who use tobacco started before the age of 21, and most initiate use around the age of 12. They know that the leading reason that kids experiment with tobacco is because the product is flavored. Removing the products from the market that are primarily used by kids threatens their bottom line and their ability to create lifelong users by addicting them early. Their pipeline for profit is our kids."


Opposition to the ban

Noon310.png

Citizen Power! is leading the campaign in support of the "no" vote to repeal the ban.[3]

Opponents

Corporations

  • Philip Morris USA, Inc.

Organizations

  • Altria Group, Inc. Political Action Committee (AltriaPAC)
  • Coalition for Health, Opportunity, Innovation and Consumer Education
  • Rocky Mountain Smoke-Free Alliance

Arguments

  • Phil Guerin, Denver vape-shop owner: "[Referendum 310] has a big negative impact on the business community and on the health care choices that adults can make for themselves."
  • Travis Parman, Philip Morris International spokesperson: "Flavors can be supportive in helping consumers make the transition to better alternatives."
  • Citizen Power!: "[Referendum 310 is] a failed policy with unintended consequences. This law does nothing to stop youth vaping. Instead, it pushes sales to nearby cities like Lakewood and Aurora, draining revenue from Denver businesses while reducing local oversight."


Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in Colorado

This measure was put on the ballot through a successful veto referendum petition drive. Below is a timeline of the initiative:

  • December 4, 2024: Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez, Shontel Lewis, and Darrell Watson of the Denver City Council introduced bill 24-1765.[4]
  • December 16, 2024: The Denver City Council passed bill 24-1765 in a 11-1 vote.[4]
  • December 18, 2024: Mayor Mike Johnston signed the ban into law.[4]
  • March 17, 2025: Sponsors of the veto referendum submitted more than 17,000 signatures in support of repealing the ban.[5]
  • April 11, 2025: The City Clerk's Office stated that about 11,000 signatures were valid. As this was greater than the 9,400 signature requirement, the measure was placed on the ballot.[6]
  • September 5, 2025: The City Clerk and Recorder Paul López certified the ballot title for the measure.[7]

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Colorado

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Colorado.

How to vote in Colorado

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Denver Government, "Council Bill No. 24-1765 Text," accessed September 23, 2025
  2. Yes for Denver Kids, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2025
  3. Citizen Power!, "Homepage," accessed September 23, 2025
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Denver City Council, "File #24-1765," accessed September 23, 2025
  5. Denverite, "The people who want to un-ban flavored tobacco in Denver just submitted enough signatures to put it back on the ballot," accessed September 23, 2025
  6. https://denverite.com/2025/04/11/denver-flavored-tobacco-ban-repeal-signatures-ballot-measure/ Denverite, "Denver’s city clerk says enough signatures were gathered to send repeal of tobacco flavor ban to voters," accessed September 23, 2025]
  7. Westworld, "Eight Measures to Appear on Denver’s November Ballot: What to Know," accessed September 23, 2025
  8. Colorado Secretary of State, "Mail-in Ballots FAQs," accessed August 6, 2025
  9. LexisNexis, "Colorado Revised Statutes, § 1-7-101," accessed August 6, 2025
  10. 10.0 10.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Voter Registration FAQs," accessed August 6, 2025
  11. 11.0 11.1 Colorado Secretary of State, "Colorado Voter Registration Form," accessed August 6, 2025
  12. Colorado Secretary of State, "Go Vote Colorado," accessed August 6, 2025
  13. Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  14. Colorado Secretary of State, "Acceptable Forms of Identification," accessed August 6, 2025
  15. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.