FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/1/19
Contact: Stacy Petty
Email: CommunicationsDirector@LPColorado.org
Website: www.LPColorado.org
FROM LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF COLORADO CHAIRMAN VICTORIA REYNOLDS
Denver looks to raise the smoking age to 21, the Libertarian Party of Colorado asks, “why?”
Yes, there are high school students smoking cigarettes and vaping. And, yes, there are more options for nicotine consumption than there were in 1975. That said, kids smoked when they could buy cigarettes from a vending machine and continue to smoke today. Of course, we want to reduce nicotine and tobacco consumption in youths so that they do not have such an unhealthy habit in their later years, but youth smoking has been in a consistent decline since the mid-nineties. More local regulation is not going to stem the problem, as any person 18 or over, can drive to Aurora or Thornton and still purchase the products they desire. This local regulation will only reduce business profits and tax revenue, as well as opening the door for a greater black market in something as simple as tobacco.
Denver doesn’t need to be the next site of an Eric Garner incident created through regulations and government overreach. We need to remain the city who believes in personal freedom and responsibility. Let parents parent their children, and let young adults make their own mistakes. Youth smoking will be curtailed via innovation and strong families, not with regulations and laws.
# # #
If you would like more information on this topic, please contact Stacy Petty at CommunicationsDirector@LPColorado.org, Victoria Reynolds at StateChair@LPColorado.org
