The Eagle, Colorado, town council voted to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products, aiming to reduce youth exposure and nicotine use. Supporters argue that flavors can lead to underage use and that a ban will help reduce nicotine use; opponents worry about negative impacts on retail sales and tax revenue. Thirteen cities statewide have implemented similar policies, joining nearly 400 municipalities nationwide and six states. Eagle’s new regulations are expected to take effect on January 1, 2026.
Key Points
- Legislative Progress: Eagle becomes the 14th Colorado town to pass flavored tobacco restrictions; Denver will vote in November on a referendum to repeal the existing ban.
- Support: Parents and public health experts say flavors are a catalyst for youth use; some cities have seen youth e-cigarette use rates more than halve within five years after implementation.
- Opposition: Retailers and PMI, among others, argue that a ban could impact compliance, emphasizing that flavors can help adult smokers switch to less harmful smoke-free products.
- Industry News: PMI’s Zyn has received FDA authorization for the sale of several products in the US and is building a $600 million factory in Aurora, Colorado. Effective Date: The new ban is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.
Eagle, Colorado, passes flavored tobacco ban
September 3, 2025—To curb nicotine use among youth. The Eagle, Colorado, town council voted on Tuesday to restrict the sale of flavored tobacco products. The town becomes the 14th statewide to implement such a policy, joining similar sales restrictions already in place in Aspen, Boulder, Breckenridge, Carbondale, Denver, Dillon, Edgewater, Frisco, Glenwood Springs, Golden, Keystone, Silverthorne, and Snowmass Village. Nationwide, nearly 400 towns and six states have implemented varying degrees of restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products.
In public testimony, parents and public health advocates argued that fruit, mint, and candy flavors make it easier for minors to try and potentially become addicted. The nonprofit organization Mountain Youth cited surveys showing that most minors are not refused vapes. Former Glenwood Springs Mayor Jonathan Godes stated that after the city implemented a ban in 2019 and raised the purchase age to 21, youth vape use “more than halved” in the five years since then, and the anticipated retail collapse has not occurred. Pitkin County Supervisor Peter Mueller emphasized that nicotine is not harmless to health, and that “once addicted, students are four times more likely to start smoking.”
Opposition included retailers such as convenience stores and Philip Morris International (PMI). PMI stated that the variety of flavors available in its oral nicotine pouches, Zyn, helps adult smokers switch to smoke-free products and emphasized its commitment to preventing youth use. The company also asked the Legislature to slow the process and ensure retailers were informed. PMI stated that the FDA authorized 20 Zyn products for marketing and sale in the United States in January 2025 and that it was building a $600 million Zyn factory in Aurora.
The new regulations are expected to take effect on January 1, 2026
In 2017, Colorado experienced the highest youth vape use rate in the United States due to the popularity of JUUL. Since then, a comprehensive approach, including raising tobacco taxes, strengthening education and prevention efforts, and raising the legal purchase age to 21, has significantly reduced use. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that all tobacco products, including vapes and nicotine pouches, are not safe, and nicotine poses significant health risks to pregnant women, fetuses, and adolescents.
According to the Eagle Town Council. The flavored tobacco ban is expected to take effect on January 1, 2026; the Denver City Council will decide whether to continue the ban in November 2025.
