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Greenwood Village Could Join Growing List Of Colorado Cities With Vape Pen Bans

By Jennifer Brice

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. (CBS4)- The City of Greenwood Village is working to ban the use of vapor pens in public places. The city council passed the first hurdle this week, only one more vote is needed. This comes as vape pen bans are becoming more common across our state.

The proposed ban would stop people from vaping in the same places where smoking is already prohibited.

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(credit: CBS)

The city says they're pushing for this because of health concerns and how vape pens are an easy way to hide marijuana smoking in public.

The use of e-cigarettes among high school students has tripled in one year. Matt Cohrs, Assistant to the Greenwood Village City Manager, says the large increase among teens is a motivator the ban.

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CBS4's Jennifer Brice interviews Matt Cohrs, Assistant to the Greenwood Village City Manager (credit: CBS)

"You can see them out in parks and so on gathering and using their vaping devices," said Cohrs.

The city is also concerned with how vape pens are being used to camouflage marijuana smoke in public, which clearly breaks the law.

RELATED STORIES: Marijuana Legalization Story Archive

Zack Elliot of the Vape Shop in Denver showed CBS4's Jennifer Brice the difference between a regular vape pen and the ones designed to smoke marijuana flowers or hash oil.

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CBS4's Jennifer Brice interviews Zack Elliot of the Vape Shop (credit: CBS)

He says usually only an experienced smoker would know the difference.

Since vaping devices can easily mask the odor of marijuana, in that case, Elliot says he understand the ban but hopes the growing number of cities opting to ban vaping won't hurt his business.

"If you're vaping in public and you don't want it in your face, I get it, but if you're doing it to avoid smoking -- it's more beneficial to the user."

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Cohrs says 438 communities have undergone vaping prohibitions nationally and that number in Colorado is also growing with 14 communities so far. The next vote to ban vape pens in Greenwood Village will happen February 1.

The Colorado cities that have vaping in public bans include Arvada, Boulder, Brighton, Fort Collins, Golden, Greeley, Lakewood, Littleton and Louisville.

Jennifer Brice is a reporter with CBS4 focusing on crime and courts. Follow her on Facebook or on Twitter @CBS4Jenn.

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