DENVER — One of the biggest health issues facing Colorado is teenage vaping.
According to most statistics, Colorado has the highest teenage vaping rates of any state in the country.
So how are teenagers getting their hands on vaping products?
The FOX31 Problem Solvers sent a public information request to Denver’s Health Department to see who they have cited in the last three years for vaping.
READ: Full list of violators and citations
According to our analysis, since 2017, the following were cited in the last three years for selling vaping products to minors in Denver:
- Kings Soopers 7 citations
- Walgreens 8 citations
- Conoco Gas Stations: 20 citations — with over $3,000 in fines
- 7-Eleven: 80 citations with over $19,749 in fines. Various locations got their license suspended for a total of 270 days.
Currently only one inspector is available to investigate stores, and they do so with the help of teenagers who go in and try to buy the products.
“We have minor operatives that we employ under the age of 18 but close to 18 that go out with an investigator,” Tristan Saunders, a manager with Denver’s Health Department, said. “We currently have one adult investigator for this program, we have been conditionally approved for another investigator to start in January.”