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Residents and health advocates urge National City to finalize tobacco-retailer licensing amid youth vaping concerns
Summary
Public commenters and health advocates urged the National City Council to adopt and implement a tobacco retail license and stronger protections for youth, citing local school survey data and medical concerns about high‑potency THC and nicotine use.
Liz Murphy, a 28-year veteran health teacher with the Sweetwater Union High School District, told the council vaping has become "a significant disruption to our schools" and cited a recent anonymous district student survey in which, she said, "1 out of 3 students reports avoiding using the bathroom because of vaping." Murphy urged the council to treat youth vaping as a direct threat to students' well-being and to pursue stronger prevention measures.
Multiple public-health advocates reinforced Murphy's appeal. Shukri Aden, an advocacy intern at the American Lung Association, urged the council to implement a tobacco retailer licensing program in National City to hold sellers accountable and reduce youth access. Zoom participant Judy Strang and other commenters linked rising youth suicide and mental-health concerns with increased availability of high‑potency THC products, asking the council not to expand marijuana retail footprints without safeguards.
Speakers also noted timing, saying the council had agreed previously to revisit a tobacco retail license ordinance but had postponed the item several times. One commenter who identified as vice chair of the Tobacco Retail License Coalition said City staff and Councilmember Jose Rodriguez had committed in writing to a May response that was moved repeatedly to July and then August; residents asked the council to provide a concrete timeline for action.
Council members acknowledged the community's concern. One member said staff have done extensive due diligence and urged the council to treat the tobacco-retailer discussion "as the emergency that it is," while others reiterated that the ordinance has been in development for more than a year. The meeting record shows no final vote on a new ordinance at this session; the council heard the public comments and discussed next steps.
The public-comments segment ended with requests that any forthcoming ordinance include enforcement, education and resources to help youth quit, and a clear implementation timeline. The council did not adopt new regulations at the meeting; speakers requested staff return with an agreed calendar and specifics on enforcement and penalties.
