Residents, health professionals urge Aurora to adopt local tobacco retail licensing

Multiple residents and a health-care professional urged Aurora City Council on Dec. 15 to adopt a local tobacco retail licensing (TRL) ordinance to reduce youth access to nicotine products.

Speakers including Avalon McDowd, Natalia Flores, Christian Tesfaye and Mary Dustow told councilrooms they had direct experiences with youth vaping and that state licensing alone does not provide sufficient local oversight. McDowd described seeing frequent student vaping at school and cited survey data she said showed retailers often failed to check IDs. Flores said her brother began vaping at 15 and argued that a local TRL would enable regular inspections and swifter enforcement.

Health-care and community speakers said TRL can reduce youth initiation by raising compliance, enabling local inspections and enforcing penalties. Mary Dustow, a health-care professional and business owner, urged a licensing approach that supports responsible businesses and focuses on prevention, not punitive enforcement.

Speakers acknowledged that a local TRL would not eliminate all youth access but said it would be a meaningful local tool to reduce illegal sales and protect health equity. Several youth speakers and students urged council to adopt the policy as a proactive measure.

Council did not vote on a TRL ordinance at the Dec. 15 meeting; the comments serve as public input for staff and council as they consider ordinance language and enforcement mechanisms.