As pediatric pulmonologists practicing at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora, we routinely talk to patients and parents about the harmful effects of nicotine and tobacco products.
We talk to kids early and often about the dangers of nicotine use, but once this habit starts, it is hard to stop.Many kids we talk to have no idea that the vape they are using is loaded with nicotine andcarefully designed to trap them into a debilitating cycle of addiction.
Smoking is associated with long-term problems with lung function and breathing not only for the smoker, but also for children who are exposed to smoke in their environment.
Nicotine is highly addictive and can have damaging effects on kids’ health, including harming the developing parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood and impulse control. E-cigarettes contain a substantial amount of nicotine (with some e-cigarettes containing more nicotine than 200 cigarettes) and chemicals, some that can cause cancer.
While some kids start vaping believing it is a “safer” method of smoking, e-cigarette and vaping associated lung injury (EVALI) can occur rapidly with even infrequent use of these products. E-cigarettes are creating serious, lifelong health risks, particularly in children. E-cigarettes are not a harm reduction tool for youth who use them, they are a potent and dangerous entry point into nicotine use that can affect their lifespan.
Early nicotine use can set kids up for a lifetime of addiction. Ninety percent of adult smokers begin while in their teens or earlier.
Many want to quit but cannot because they are addicted to nicotine. If one can reach adulthood without smoking, then the probability of picking up the habit is greatly reduced. We know that chronic use of nicotine can become something that is not a choice, but an addiction that is incredibly difficult to break.
While we spend much of our time having conversations with individual patients about vaping, our community has the opportunity to make changes that can benefit all of the children and adolescents in our area more broadly. To do this, we must focus on the community factors that influence tobacco use among young people — such as access to tobacco products, enticements for children and adolescents to try inhaled tobacco and e-cigarette products, and policies that affect entire cities.
Aurora has the exciting opportunity to pass a local tobacco retail licensure ordinance in 2026. This ordinance could play a crucial role in protecting children from tobacco use by ensuring that retailers comply with laws enforcing the minimum legal sales age, therefore preventing minors from purchasing tobacco products.
This is especially important in Aurora where there are twice as many tobacco retailers as there are grocery stores. Over-concentration of tobacco retailers has been correlated with increased youth access to tobacco products. Licensing helps reduce youth nicotine use and addiction and creates a level playing field for retailers who adhere to the rules.
Strong licensing policies have been shown to significantly lower youth smoking rates and reduce access to tobacco products. This is important as the 2023 Colorado Healthy Kids Survey reportedthat’s when trying to buy tobacco or vaping products in a store, 85% of Colorado high school students were not refused because of age.
One out of four Aurora students who use tobacco products report getting these products through a retailer. It is dangerously easy for youth in Aurora to obtain tobacco products.
Tobacco retail licensure is proven to be an effective tool in safeguarding children from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine. Communities with comprehensive tobacco retail licensing laws have reported reductions in youth tobacco use and improved health outcomes.
Passing a local tobacco retailer licensing ordinance is an important step in protecting Aurora’s kids from ever accessing harmful tobacco and nicotine products and stopping a dangerous addiction before it ever starts.
Angela Metcalf, MD and Amanda Messinger, MD are pediatric pulmonologists practicing at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora