On Monday night, the Denver City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that will increase the minimum age to purchase tobacco from 18 to 21-years-old, a change that will go into effect as soon Mayor Michael Hancock signs it, which could be as early as Tuesday.
The increase also applies to e-cigarettes and similar alternatives to tobacco, and it will remove all tobacco products from vending machines.
Retailers will also be required to obtain a retail tobacco store license as of Jan. 1, 2021 in order to keep selling tobacco products. Existing retailers that file for a license by July 1, 2020 will be allowed to continue in operation until a final decision is made on the store’s application. The license won’t come cheap either, costing $250 to apply for and $500 to obtain and renew per year.
With a population of nearly 2.9 million residents, Denver is the 19th most populous city in the country.
Update (Oct. 1, 2019) — As was expected, the mayor signed the ordinance into law on Tuesday.
Featured image via Flickr user Larry Johnson [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.