Effective July 1, vaping is prohibited indoors in most public places in Colorado. The changes to the law align smoking and vaping by adding vaping to the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, which already prohibited smoking indoors in most public places. Studies show that smoke free environments help encourage tobacco users to smoke less and quit. Vape-free environments encourage similar behavior change for e-cigarette users.
The new law also increases the distance from public entrances where people can smoke or vape from 15 to 25 feet. Studies show that to completely avoid exposing others to secondhand smoke in an outdoor area, a person who is smoking may have to move as far away as 25 feet. Inhaling secondhand aerosol, which comes from vaping, may expose bystanders to harmful chemicals. These may include nicotine, fine and ultrafine particles, and other toxins that are known to cause cancer.
While most young people (66 percent) in the region (Montezuma, Dolores, La Plata, Archuleta and San Juan counties) have not used e-cigarettes, JUUL, and other electronic nicotine devices in the last 30 days, the roughly 34 percent of high schoolers who have is concerning. Evidence shows that strong smoke-free policies reduce the likelihood that young people will start smoking. In La Plata County, 96 percent of adults are not current e-cigarettes users.
“We believe in protecting community health by improving indoor and outdoor air quality, and support measures making the healthiest choice the easiest choice when it comes to e-cigarette use,” said Liane Jollon, Executive Director of San Juan Basin Public Health.
The new law will help protect customers and service industry employees at local businesses such as bars and restaurants, for example, from the cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and nicotine that are present in aerosol from vape devices.
San Juan Basin Public Health is a local public health agency, governed by a seven-member local Board of Health, serving all residents of Archuleta and La Plata counties. For over 70 years, San Juan Basin.
