Smokefree Denver Off To Strong Start

This past spring, CoPIRG won a bill in the Colorado House of Representatives to make all workplaces, including bars and restaurants, smoke-free.

But the tobacco lobby turned up the heat in the Senate, using their money and influence to hold back-to-back meetings with swing senators, and the bill failed by only two votes.

Now CoPIRG is working on the municipal level to take on the tobacco industry. In May, CoPIRG joined Smokefree Denver, a coalition working to ban smoking in workplaces, including bars and restaurants, throughout the city. The coalition is currently holding planning meetings—with the goal of passing a ban by December.

Second-hand smoke kills 53,000 Americans each year. An April 2005 study in the British Medical Journal demonstrated that banning public smoking can result in an immediate drop-off in heart attacks.

“Passing this law is about making Denver a healthier place,” said State Director Rex Wilmouth. “So far, 14 other cities in Colorado have already passed smoke-free laws. It’s past time for Denver and other cities to follow their lead.”