Colorado has joined the ranks of California, Connecticut, and a number of other states across the U.S. in enacting a statewide ban on the use of vaping products in indoor public spaces. The new law went into effect on July 1, 2019.
The new law adds to existing legislation which prohibits the use of cigarettes and related tobacco smoking products in indoor public places. The existing law, known as the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, now includes language referencing the use of vaping products such as e-cigarettes, effectively banning their use in public indoor settings.
As a result of the newly enacted law, the distance from public entrances where smoking and vaping is allowed has been increased, forcing vapers and smokers to stand at least 25 feet away from public entrances. Up until now, smoking was allowed within 15 feet of public entrances.
Jill Hunsaker Ryan, the executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, was quoted by 9News as having said that it “makes sense to align the law for e-cigarettes with traditional cigarettes” given that everyone deserves clean air to breathe “without having to worry about secondhand smoke or breathing in vape chemicals.”