Michael Bloomberg, a longtime anti-nicotine zealot, has injected $1.5 million into the fight over Denver’s flavored tobacco ban, according to filings on the city’s campaign finance database.
The donation, made through Bloomberg Philanthropies, supports Denver Kids vs. Big Tobacco, the campaign urging voters to uphold the citywide ban when they vote on Referendum 310 this November.
The former New York City mayor has spent billions globally to promote his version of tobacco control and discourage the use of any nicotine product. His latest contribution follows an earlier in-kind donation of $73,500 to the same group.
Denver’s flavored tobacco ban, passed by the City Council in December 2023, prohibits retailers from selling or distributing flavored tobacco and nicotine products, including menthol and flavored e-cigarettes. Vape shop owners and other retailers later gathered nearly 17,000 signatures—almost twice the number required—to place a repeal question on the November 4 ballot. A “yes” vote keeps the ban, while a “no” vote repeals it.
Campaign finance disclosures show that Denver Kids vs. Big Tobacco has raised more than $2 million to defend the ban, spending over $500,000 in September alone on production and advertising. The opposition campaign, Citizen Power!, led by local vape retailer Phil Guerin, has raised about $468,000. Guerin, who owns the Myxed Up Creations chain and serves as president of the Rocky Mountain Smoke-Free Alliance, said the effort to put the issue before voters cost over $240,000, most of which went toward signature collection.
Guerin said Bloomberg’s involvement represents “an effort to influence local politics without fully understanding the nuances of our city.” He said adults seeking alternatives to smoking should not lose access to flavored vaping products. “We’re over here talking about vapes, and they’re over there talking about cigarettes—and cigarettes are still legal,” he told The Denver Gazette.
Public health groups and local officials have defended the ban, citing rising youth nicotine use and growing evidence that flavored products drive experimentation. “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 for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, one of several organizations backing the measure.
Opponents of the ban argue that it will hurt small businesses and cost the city millions in lost revenue. The Rocky Mountain Smoke-Free Alliance estimates that roughly 550 local retailers have been affected by the flavored tobacco restrictions and that Denver stands to lose more than $13 million in annual tax revenue.
Denver voters will receive mail ballots beginning Oct. 11.
