Aspen voters alight on new tax

ASPEN» The cost of a pack of cigarettes and other tobacco products will increase next year after Aspen voters overwhelmingly passed a new tax in Tuesday’s election.

In the unofficial results, 74.59 percent (1,280 votes) were in favor of the tax and 25.41 percent (438) were against.

Starting Jan. 1, there will be a $3 tax on a pack of cigarettes bought in Aspen, with a 10-cent increase annually until the tax reaches $4. In passing Ballot Issue 2B, voters also said yes to a 40 percent hike on all other tobacco products — including cigars, e-cigarettes and chewing tobacco.

The new tax goes into effect on the same day as the city’s legislation raising the tobacco purchase age from 18 to 21 years old. The consumption age remains 18 in Aspen.

Aspen City Councilman Adam Frisch, who was behind the push to get the tax question on the ballot, said Tuesday that increasing the price and hoping it becomes a deterrent to smoking came after the idea to raise the age was suggested by Pitkin County Medical Officer Dr. Kimberly Levin earlier this year.

“This was not hard to sell to the council and it was evidently not a hard sell for the community,” Frisch said.

The tax is expected to collect $325,000 annually and will be dedicated to the city’s general fund. There will be a special line item in the general fund that all tobacco tax revenue be used for “health and human services, tobacco-related health issues, and addiction and substance-abuse education and mitigation.”