The two sides in Denver's ballot battle over flavored tobacco have together raised more than $650,000.
So far, the nicotine industry is winning the fundraising battle.
That’s according to campaign filings posted Friday on the website of the Office of the Denver Clerk and Recorder.
The fight is about whether to keep or repeal Denver’s ban on flavored tobacco. The Denver City Council banned the sales last year, and voters will decide this November whether to keep the ban in place.
The campaign to repeal the ban is known as “Citizen Power!” It has raised $410,000. That includes $75,000 from both the tobacco giant Altria and the multinational company Philip Morris International. Other top contributors include local vape advocates. The Rocky Mountain Smoke Free Alliance has given almost $173,000.
In contrast, the campaign to keep the ban on flavored nicotine has raised about $245,000. They are trailing the repeal campaign by some $165,000, although that gap has narrowed slightly. The campaign is calling itself “Denver Kids vs Big Tobacco.”
In its filings this month, a new name stood out: Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor who has financially backed other anti-tobacco efforts. He gave $73,500.
Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund, a nonprofit affiliated with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, also has given more than $15,000 to the campaign. Health consortium Kaiser Permanente has given $50,000, among others.
Campaign arguments are heating up.
Referendum 310 is a little confusing. It asks voters whether to “retain” the ban. A “yes” vote keeps the ban in place, meaning it would still be illegal to sell flavored tobacco in Denver. A “no” vote would repeal the ban, allowing the sales again.
The ban is already in effect, but city officials say they won’t enforce it until after the election.
Supporters of the repeal effort have said the flavor ban does little to stop young people from consuming tobacco. They say the products will still be easy to get, either across city lines or on the internet, and that the ban will just hurt small businesses like vape shops and convenience stores. They argue e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches are meant to help adults quit smoking.
They also argue the ban will cost Denver voters millions of dollars in sales taxes just as the city is facing a large budget deficit and is laying off hundreds of city employees.
“Denver voters can’t be bought out by out-of-state billionaires,” said Phil Guerin, who owns the vape shop business Myxed Up Creations, on Colfax Avenue, referring to Bloomberg. He said he expects the former mayor to step up his contributions.
“As a 30-year small business owners in Denver, our livelihoods are at stake,” Guerin said in a text.
Backers of the prohibition say they aim to limit youth consumption of products that can lead to tobacco addictions that can be hard, if not impossibl,e to break and lead to serious health problems.
“Flavors like Raspberry Chill and Root Beer Float have been a gateway for new tobacco users for years – especially for kids,” said Nick Torres, advocacy director for Colorado at the American Lung Association, in a press release. “310 will protect kids from becoming the next victims of tobacco addiction.”
Denver voters will be hearing more about the campaign soon. The campaigns’ money will likely pay for mailers, TV ads and more.
Ballots go out Oct. 10.
