A House committee killed legislation Thursday that would have required warning labels on nicotine products.

Its Health, Insurance and Environment Committee voted 9-4 to defeat labeling requirements despite favorable testimony from hospital and public health officials. The committee then postponed the legislation indefinitely.

The votes came as a blow to Rep. Gordon Klingenschmitt, R-Colorado Springs, who hoped to gain bipartisan support for state controls on electronic cigarettes and other non-tobacco nicotine products.

He stressed the potential risks of a poisonous product to children.

“We have products here that look like candy,” he said. “We’ve seen deceptive labels.”

Store owners and associations representing smoke-free products countered that they are taking safety precautions already and awaiting a regulatory decision from the federal Food and Drug Administration, which is also contemplating labeling requirements.

“All we claim is this is a healthier alternative to tobacco,” said Mike Weber, president of the Colorado Vape Association. If people worry about poisoned children, “labeling is not the answer. That’s a safety cap,” he said.

Gabriel Kaplan, representing the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, called nicotine an addictive product whether or not it’s delivered in a cigarette.

“We’re concerned about nicotine as a pathway to lifelong addiction to tobacco products,” he said.

David Olinger: 303-954-1498, dolinger@denverpost.com or @dolingerdp