Aurora cracks down on smoke shops to prevent tobacco and vape sales to minors

AURORA, Colo. — Aurora is creating new licensing rules for tobacco shops across the city in an effort to keep nicotine products out of the hands of minors.

During a meeting on Monday night, Aurora City Council members passed an ordinance that creates a new local tobacco license and requires additional compliance checks for more than 300 tobacco retailers operating in the city.

Shops selling tobacco, kratom and age-restricted hemp will be required to have the license. Under the new ordinance, the retailers will also be required to pay a $500 licensing fee each year, which will fund two local compliance checks where underage buyers will attempt to purchase tobacco products.

The two local compliance checks will be added on top of the two unannounced checks the state already requires at tobacco shops annually.

Israel Trejo, an employee at Lit City Smoke Shop in Aurora, said he welcomes the new regulations. He said he believes the additional compliance checks will level the playing field for shops that are already following the rules.

"If there's someone that can just cut corners, then we have to make up for that corner being cut," Trejo said. "They kind of ruin it for people like us trying to make a true dollar, you know what I mean?"

Trevor Vaughn, the licensing manager for the City of Aurora, said the state recorded 38 violations last year at smoke shops in the city for selling tobacco to minors. He said four of those shops failed multiple compliance checks in one year.

Jacob Curtis

"What we're seeing is that, potentially with repeat violations, that perhaps the state checks may not be enough, or the state fines may not be enough, and I think that's why the proponents encouraged this ordinance to come forward, was to add some additional oversight," Vaughn told Denver7.

Aurora Partners for Thriving Youth, a coalition aimed at preventing youth substance use, played a large role in pushing the ordinance through.

Geovani Arellano-Morales, a freshman at Gateway High School, and Vladimir Sandoval-Surino, a freshman at Hinkley High School, are both part of the organization. The two said they have seen the effects vaping has had on their classmates.

Jacob Curtis

"I see a lot of my family members and friends struggle with underage smoking," Arellano-Morales told Denver7. "I had this one friend. He was really smart. He started smoking, and his grades started to drop, and now he's really just not in a great spot."

"I would say like 80% of the school mostly does it," Sandoval-Surino said.

The two freshmen said most of their classmates either get tobacco products from older friends and siblings, or buy them at shops that do not ask for identification.

The penalties for compliance check violations under the new ordinance are outlined below:

• First violation: $1,000 fine
• Second violation within 36 months: $2,000 fine and seven day license suspension
• Third violation within 36 months: $2,650 fine and 21 day license suspension OR revocation of license
• Fourth violation within 36 months: license revoked permanently

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