Lake County and Leadville Elevate Local Youth Tobacco Protections

Colorado’s Lake County and its county seat, Leadville, took a significant step to protect kids from tobacco late last year: They both adopted Retail Tobacco Licensing ordinances and regulations.

Together, these policies will reduce youth access to tobacco and vape products, combat underage use, and support healthier communities, Lake County announced on Dec. 20, 2024.

“We are very proud of this collaborative effort between the city and the county that will help keep tobacco out of the hands of our youth,” said Kelsy Maxie, Lake County Public Health deputy director. “This is a data-based approach that will help us combat some of the very high numbers of young tobacco users we see in Lake County and protect our young community from a lifelong addiction to tobacco. 

Maxie noted that this action builds on progress nearby. “Our neighboring counties have already implemented successful Tobacco Retail Ordinances,” Maxie said.

Leadville Mayor Dana Greene added: “The Tobacco Retail Licensing Ordinance is a strong and positive step toward reducing youth tobacco use and improving the health of our community.” 

The new policies:

• Requires that all new tobacco businesses be located at least 1,000 feet away from youth-oriented facilities or programs. 
• Limits the number of tobacco retailers in the city and county, prioritizing existing businesses while preventing new ones from opening.
• Raises the minimum age for tobacco salesclerks to 21, reducing the risk of minors selling to other minors. (Colorado law requires that tobacco only be sold to those 21 and older.)
• Prohibits tobacco advertising visible from outside stores.
• Provides the authority to conduct compliance checks to prevent underage sales.

License fees will directly support local health initiatives.

Lake County highlighted data from the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey to stress the urgency of this step: 

• 41.2% of underage students who smoked cigarettes reported buying them from gas stations, convenience stores, grocery stores, or drug stores.
• 73.9% of underage students who attempted to buy tobacco or vape products were not refused due to age.
• Nearly half (48.2%) of underage students believe it would not be hard to obtain vape devices.
• 25.9% of underage students used vape products for the first time before the age of 13.

This step builds on progress in other communities across Colorado to reduce illegal sales of tobacco and nicotine products to kids. Denver recently enacted restrictions on flavored tobacco, with the same goal of protecting youth from tobacco products.