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Flavored vape products that critics say are aimed at youth, during a news conference aimed at Denver’s City and County Building on Monday, Dec. 12, 2024.
Hart Van Denburg/CPR News
Michael Bloomberg is making an expensive statement in Denver’s referendum battle over flavored nicotine products.
Bloomberg, a billionaire philanthropist and the former mayor of New York City, is by far the biggest donor in the political fight. He gave $1.5 million last month to the anti-nicotine campaign that wants to keep Denver’s “flavor ban” in place.
That followed another contribution of $73,500 from him in August, and it means the supporters of the ban now have a 4-to-1 lead in fundraising. That’s according to campaign filings posted Monday by the Office of the Denver Clerk and Recorder.
The move drew quick criticism from backers of the repeal, who are asking voters to abolish the ban and once again allow the sale of flavored vaporizers and other products in Denver.
“The real David vs. Goliath story is out-of-state billionaire money flooding Denver to keep the flavor ban in place,” said Phil Guerin, who owns the vape shop Myxed Up Creations on Colfax Avenue, as well as locations in four other Colorado cities, via email.
CPR reached out to Bloomberg for comment but hasn’t yet gotten a response.
The pro-flavor ban campaign calls itself “Denver Kids vs Big Tobacco” and is supported by anti-tobacco, education and health groups. It has now raised more than $2 million.
Those opposing the ban, including vape shops and multinational corporations that sell flavored products, have raised almost $470,000, according to the filings.
Bloomberg has fought for tobacco and smoking regulations before
Bloomberg, a longtime tobacco opponent, served as New York City’s mayor for three terms. He has officially been a Republican, independent and Democrat, and ran in the Democratic presidential primary in 2020.
As mayor he championed a number of public health initiatives, including a ban on indoor smoking at workplaces, a hike on the cigarette tax, an increase in the legal age to buy tobacco products and a ban on flavored e-cigarette products including menthol flavors.
Bloomberg, who is 83, ranked #14 on Forbes World’s Billionaires List 2025, with a net worth of $105 billion. He cofounded Bloomberg LP, a financial information and media company, in 1981.
How the people working to repeal the ban reacted
The Denver City Council banned flavored tobacco sales in December. Mayor Mike Johnson signed the measure. Opponents started a petition drive to challenge the ban and successfully gathered nearly 11,000 valid signatures. That was enough to put the repeal on the ballot in November.
Guerin said a coalition of Denver citizens and family- and minority-owned businesses “stood up for our city” — collecting thousands of signatures in Denver “to give voters a voice.”
“While their side spends millions from New York to dictate Denver’s policy, we believe Denver should decide Denver’s future — not an outside billionaire,” Guerin said.
The opponents of the flavor ban are operating under the name CitizenPower! Among the nearly $500,000 raised: almost $173,000 from the Rocky Mountain Smoke Free Alliance and $75,000 each from the tobacco giant Altria and the company Philip Morris International (PMI).
The “no” campaign has been running a 30-second ad on Facebook.
Supporters of the ban demurred from mentioning Bloomberg
In a statement, the Yes on 310 campaign said they have broad support from doctors, nurses, individuals and public health organizations like the American Lung Association, with endorsements from organizations including the Colorado Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Hospital Colorado.
The statement did not specifically mention Bloomberg.
“Our supporters are committed to protecting the health of Denver kids and stopping Big Tobacco from hooking them into a lifetime of nicotine addiction,” said Jodi Radke, regional director of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, in an emailed statement.
She said she’s confident that Denver voters, “will side with kids over Big Tobacco and vote yes to end the sale of flavored tobacco and protect our kids from a lifetime of addiction.”
Bloomberg has committed more than $1 billion to combat tobacco use globally, according to the website for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, which is one of several organizations funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Tobacco-Free Kids Action Fund, a nonprofit affiliated with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, also has given more than $350,000 to the campaign. Health consortium Kaiser Permanente has given $50,000 and the American Heart Association has given $30,000.
The money paid for a number of 30-second campaign ads.
Nearly $1.3 million of the anti-tobacco campaign’s spending has gone to GMMB, a political communications and advertising firm based in Washington, D.C., with offices in Seattle and San Francisco.
Will tobacco corps respond?
One big question now is whether deep-pocketed corporations that sell flavored tobacco, like Altria and PMI, which have already given to the no side, will now respond with bigger contributions of their own.
CPR reached out to both, but has not yet heard back from either.
Does the Rocky Mountain Smoke Free Alliance have the funds to match Bloomberg’s contributions?
“I wish!” Guerin said via text. “The short answer is no.”
The voters themselves will weigh in soon
Denver’s Referendum 310 will decide whether to keep or repeal Denver’s ban on flavored tobacco, including nicotine vaporizers that come in a range of fruity flavors.
If a majority of people vote “yes,” the city will continue to ban the products. If a majority vote “no,” the ban would be repealed and businesses would be allowed to sell the products again.
The full text of the ordinance is available here.
The ban, which affects 575 retailers that sell the products in Denver, is already in effect, but city officials have said they wouldn’t enforce it until after the election.
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