Recent moves to ban flavored tobacco products in Colorado, and specifically in Summit County, will do more harm than good—both economically and from a public health standpoint.

A Yale School of Public Health study found that flavor bans may actually drive young people toward smoking traditional cigarettes—the deadliest form of nicotine consumption. Meanwhile, the CDC’s National Youth Tobacco Survey shows youth nicotine pouch use is under 2%, and youth vaping rates are at a decade low. The data makes it clear: flavor bans don’t work.

What does work? Providing adults with access to FDA-authorized, smoke-free alternatives. The FDA recently approved 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products, recognizing them as part of a harm-reduction strategy. Millions of Americans have already transitioned away from traditional cigarettes thanks to these innovations. Removing options they prefer will only undermine progress.

Beyond health consequences, local businesses will suffer. The loss of retail sales will cut funding for programs that rely on tobacco and nicotine tax revenue, such as food inspection services, traffic congestion initiatives, and even the Governor’s Universal Preschool program. Shoppers will simply take their business—and tax dollars—elsewhere, hurting local economies.

Rather than ineffective bans, we should focus on education and harm reduction strategies that respect consumer choice. Let’s follow the science, not policies that push us backward.

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