Several Colorado Tobacco Tax Increases Pass

On Tuesday, voters in several Colorado counties and cities were presented with ballot measures asking whether or not to impose a new tax on tobacco products, and the overwhelming answer was yes.

In Pitkin County, a proposal to put a 40 percent sales tax on non-cigarette tobacco products, such as cigars, was passing with 78.75 percent of the vote as of late Tuesday night. There will also be a new tax on cigarettes, starting at $3.20 per pack of 20 and increasing by 10 cents annually until the tax is $4. Both will go into effect as of Jan. 1, 2020. Similar proposals were passing in Summit County and Eagle County.

In New Castle, voters approved a similar proposal had garnered the support of 70 percent of voters. A similar proposal in Glenwood Springs was passing with 60 percent of the vote; the notable difference was that the cigarette tax will start at $4 per pack.

Similar proposals in Crested Butte, Boulder, and Vail were also passing as of late Tuesday night.

Patrick Lagreid

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks during spring training, as well as for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, the G-League's Valley Suns, and previously the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League. I also work in a number of roles for Major League Baseball, plus I'm a voice over artist. Prior to joining halfwheel, I covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.