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Colorado Governor To Ask Voters To Pass Nicotine Tax To Combat Youth Use

DENVER (AP) -- Gov. Jared Polis is announcing a late-session bill to ask Colorado voters to significantly raise taxes on cigarettes and impose taxes on nicotine vaping devices to deter youth consumption.

Young People Vaping
The US Food and Drug Administration released a policy draft aimed at preventing e-cigarette products from getting into kids' hands. The result could be that some flavored products are taken off the market. (CNN)

Polis wants to raise the state cigarette tax from 84 cents to $2.59 a pack. Nicotine vaping devices would be taxed at 62 percent of their wholesale price. So, too, would other tobacco products.

Polis said Wednesday the initiative could generate more than $300 million a year, to be spent on educational and health programs.

In 2016, Colorado voters defeated a proposal to triple the state cigarette tax. The tax was last raised in 2004.

Democrats who control the Legislature are certain to pass a referred measure in the waning days of the 2019 session that ends May 3.

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) 

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