The Denver City Council voted Monday to ban sales of nearly all flavored tobacco and nicotine products in city limits.

The council majority brushed aside arguments from convenience store and smoke shop owners facing potentially steep revenue losses and warnings about the potential of a black market forming for flavored products. Instead, they heeded calls from public health and children’s advocates who have decried products like strawberry mango e-cigarettes as lures that can draw young people into lifetimes of addiction.

“By supporting this ban, we are not pretending to solve every problem (but) we are creating more distance between something that hurts our children,” Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez said. “I have seen firsthand how tobacco products, especially when introduced at a young age, can shape a lifetime of struggle.”

Monday’s decisive 11-1 vote came three years and 10 days after a previous iteration of the council voted to approve a flavored tobacco ban of its own. Then-Mayor Michael Hancock vetoed the council’s 2021 ban, citing the negative impact on small businesses as part of the rationale behind his opposition.

This time, Mayor Mike Johnston has signaled his full support. His administration has described it as a critical public health policy — though his signature is not yet on the passed bill.

The lone no vote came from Councilman Kevin Flynn who doubled down on his belief that his colleagues’ decision will not prevent young people in Denver from obtaining products that remain legal in many surrounding communities.

Denver police officials testified in a committee hearing earlier this month that the department is not concerned about a black market forming around flavored tobacco and in fact, convenience stores may be less desirable targets for theft if they stop carrying those products. But Flynn was steadfast Monday.

“Bans create black markets. We know this is always true,” Flynn said. “Someone will buy this in Lakewood, bring it into Denver and sell it at a premium.”

But Councilman Darrell Watson, one of the ban’s three co-sponsors pushed back. Data from every state and municipality with similar bans has shown a decrease in youth access, Watson said.

During a public hearing, the council heard from medical professionals including epidemiologist Tessa Crume.

“The tobacco industry must secure its financial future by being forward thinking and understanding who its customers of tomorrow will be,” Crume said of the industry’s focus on protecting flavored offerings. “Nicotine as a drug, regardless of its delivery mechanism, drives repeated use and dependence much like cocaine and heroin.”

Crume’s grim description came opposite speakers who identified as former law enforcement agents who issued dire warnings about the risk of rising crime should the ban pass. Those included Carlos Sandoval who suggested that criminal organizations in other countries will see tobacco as a low-risk profit opportunity.

“Cartels bring e-cigarettes across the border,” Sandoval said. “Cartels and organized crime will grow stronger under prohibition in Denver.”

Dharminder Singh, a retailer with multiple locations that sell flavored tobacco products in Denver, suggested that the city is being hypocritical by going after nicotine when retail marijuana is legal citywide.

“We are promoting things that are more dangerous to society, and we are taking away things that are legalized,” he said.

Other retailers slammed councilmembers for what they described as a rushed process that did not leave room for negotiation or collaboration with law-abiding shop owners.

But Watson noted that he and his colleague spent eight months working on the ban, including more than 50 meetings with stakeholders and even paused the council approval process through the month of November. That pause resulted in hookah tobacco being exempted from the ban because of its significance to people from Middle Eastern and North African cultures.

The ban drew a significant lobbying effort from tobacco companies and groups that represent retailers large and small. In ads placed in The Denver Post, one lobbying group backed by tobacco industry giant Philip Morris International decried the potential sales tax losses to the city.

But during testimony at the committee level on Dec. 4, Donna Lynne, the CEO of Denver Health hospital, noted taxpayers often bear a majority of the long-term cost of the health impacts of tobacco and nicotine use.

Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez cited Lynne in her closing arguments in favor of the ban.

“When we talk about economic impact, that is what we’re talking about,” she said.

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Originally Published: December 16, 2024 at 8:42 PM MST

Here’s a look at which stock improved or declined after the Broncos’ 31-13 win over the Colts on Sunday.

Stock Up

Safety Brandon Jones: Denver’s starting safety has done a solid job of filling the void left behind by Justin Simmons, with the Broncos’ win over Indianapolis another reminder. Jones didn’t allow a reception on four targets in 37 coverage snaps, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. He also intercepted quarterback Anthony Richardson’s pass in the second quarter. In 13 games, Jones has recorded 91 tackles, three interceptions, nine passes defended, a forced fumble and a recovery.

Safety P.J. Locke: Jones’ partner on the back end also made an impact Sunday. In the third quarter, Locke delivered a vicious hit on Michael Pittman to knock the ball out of the Colts receiver’s hands. The ball was then recovered by defensive tackle D.J. Jones. But the most impressive part of the turnover wasn’t the hit. It was the space Locke covered to deliver it. He was positioned at Indianapolis’ 40-yard line when he ​​backpedaled after the ball was snapped. When he saw Richardson targeting Pittman short, Locke rushed forward to make an impressive play.

DT Malcolm Roach: Denver’s run defense wasn’t great but Roach once again showed his value in that department. In 18 run snaps, Roach had six tackles and a run stuff (tackles resulting in no gain or loss), according to Next Gen Stats. The Broncos gave up 1.6 rushing yards per play when Roach was on the field and an alarming 8.6 yards when he was on the sideline.

GM George Paton: Denver’s general manager deserves a ton of credit for helping the Broncos secure their first winning season since 2016. Paton didn’t have much to work with after the team opted to eat $53 million on Russell Wilson’s $85 million dead cap hit in 2024. Still, he worked around the team’s financial limitations. The Brandon Jones and Malcolm Roach signings have paid off. As has trading for defensive end John Franklin-Myers, who had a half sack and four pressures against Indy. Denver’s rookie class has also made an immediate impact. Bo Nix has shown traits of a franchise quarterback and edge rusher Jonah Elliss (five sacks, 22 pressures) and cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine (one catch allowed on seven targets vs. Indy) look like late-round gems.

Stock Down

Running backs: It’s clear the Broncos need to address the running back position in the offseason. On Sunday, Denver’s running back rotation of Javonte Williams, Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin combined for 49 yards on 18 attempts. Williams was held under 20 yards for the fourth time in five games.

Sean Payton: Denver’s head coach has returned the franchise back to its winning ways. However, his play-calling and decision-making have been questionable at times over the last two games. To start the third quarter against the Colts, one of the league’s worst run defenses, the Broncos threw three straight passes, with the last attempt resulting in an interception on third-and-1.

Run defense: Denver’s run defense was inconsistent. The Broncos gave up 149 yards on 32 attempts. Jonathan Taylor led the way with 22 carries for 107 yards while Richardson added 46 yards and a touchdown. The Colts caught Denver slipping a couple of times in the first quarter, running the ball with Taylor on third and long, resulting in a first down. Luckily for the Broncos, Taylor did himself in by fumbling the ball a yard short of a 41-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter.

Third down offense: Denver was dreadful on third down. The Broncos were 6 for 17 despite the Colts defense being tied for the fifth-highest conversion rate (44.4%) in those situations. Nix struggled, going 5 for 12 for 38 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. That has to change against the Chargers this week.

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Originally Published: December 16, 2024 at 11:35 AM MST

DENVER — When the Denver Broncos finished out a wobbly 31-13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Empower Field at Mile High, rookie quarterback Bo Nix acknowledged the Broncos clinching the team’s first winning season since 2016 and being in prime position to make the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 to close out the 2015 season.

“It speaks to our team,” Nix said. ” … Good teams respond to days like [Sunday], playoff teams find a way to win.”

But Nix was just as quick to say that he must learn from and improve from of the erratic performance he had against the Colts, especially with three more regular-season games and probably the playoffs approaching, as the Broncos have a 94% chance to qualify for the postseason according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.

Despite hitting the three-touchdown-pass mark for the third time in his young NFL career on Sunday, Nix threw three interceptions in a game for the first time as a professional. They were part of a day in which the rookie went 20-of-33 for 130 yards, his second-lowest output of the season, and the Broncos could only muster 193 yards of total offense.

The casual observer might look at the 18-point margin of victory and the 21-point fourth-quarter barrage and assume everything went well. But that’s not the lens through which Nix viewed his performance on Sunday.

“Not going to lie it’s tough. You start getting in your head, start questioning … am I actually seeing it?” Nix said. “I feel like everybody goes through it, those who can get themselves out of it, finish the game and win … that’s usually when you find some maturity, some growth.

“It’s not the first time I’ve thrown three in a game … [but] hopefully it’s the last.”

Nix and the Broncos’ offense will have to move on quickly. They face the 8-6 Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium. Not only would the Broncos, who are currently in the No. 6 spot in the AFC playoff field, clinch a wild-card berth with a win, but they could put a little room between themselves and the Chargers, who are in the No. 7 spot and have a previous head-to-head win over Denver.

The first order of business heading into Thursday night is to re-settle Nix in an offense that has seen some struggles the past two games despite Denver winning both contests. Nix threw two interceptions in a 10-game stretch spanning Weeks 3 through 12 but has thrown five picks in the Broncos’ past two games.

Nix said Sunday one of the keys will be for him to avoid turning one mistake into multiple gaffes.

“I’ve got to be better … regardless that’s three [interceptions], you start feeling like every time I throw it is it going to get picked? You start having those mental thoughts, it’s challenging,” Nix said. “It’s probably the toughest part of playing the position … don’t let one turn into a false vision and see things that aren’t actually there.”

Nix’s performance on Sunday was the repeat of a pattern, as the interception that ended his first series set him up for a difficult day. That’s happened to him a few times already this season, most notably in Week 1 against Seattle — where an early second-quarter interception was the first of two he threw — and in Week 9 against the Ravens, as an interception he threw on the first play of the game set the stage for a 41-10 thumping by Baltimore.

For his part, Payton said some of the blame for Sunday’s struggles falls on him as the playcaller. The Broncos’ run game was ornamental at best, with just nine carries by the running backs in the first half and 49 yards rushing by three running backs in the game despite windy conditions that made passing tricky.

“I get mad at myself, couple of the calls I gave him,” Payton said. “He had one read that he knows better, but look it was just one of those nights when weren’t as efficient, especially against a zone defense like that … there were just few forced throws and a few dumb calls by me that I’ve got to be better.”

The Broncos and Nix must improve, as they face a tricky conclusion to their season. After the Chargers, the Broncos finish off with two more AFC opponents, Week 17 at Cincinnati (6-8) after a mini-bye and Week 18 against AFC West champion Kansas City (13-1). Both the Chargers (No. 7 in pass defense) and Chiefs (No. 13) will present challenges to Nix and the Broncos, at 5-4 in the AFC, need more conference wins for potential tiebreak scenarios.