In trying to understand why Mesa County youth are prone to higher use of tobacco and vaping products than the state average, local public health officials have provided a blueprint for action.
This is what Mesa County Public Health is good at -- identifying a problem and potential solutions.
One idea is to implement a local licensure mechanism that could better scrutinize retailers. MCPH empaneled focus groups to get feedback.
Aspen launched its own tobacco license program in 2017 and about 40 other counties and cities have followed suit. Local licenses give municipalities flexibility to adopt rules and regulations that can be more stringent than the state's regulatory scheme.
Those rules are often aimed at preventing youth consumption, such as Glenwood Springs' ban on flavored products or Lake County's requirement that retailers be a certain distance from youth-oriented buildings.
Unsurprisingly, representatives of local retailers who sell tobacco and vape products were more averse to local licensure than other focus group members -- on reasonable grounds.
One participant said she felt an added layer of regulation would burden retailers without moving the needle on youth tobacco use, as there are several other ways it can be accessed.
Indeed, Palisade High School junior Aydin Weber, who is currently part of a student-led campaign against vaping, told the Sentinel's Jace DiCola that students have ample opportunity to acquire nicotine-laced products without going to a retail establishment.
Some rely on "Snapchat plugs," who are dealers that solicit students through the popular social media platform.
Still, according to the 2023 Health Kids Colorado Survey, 87% of Mesa County students said they were not refused when trying to purchase tobacco or vaping products. Local licensure would allow Mesa County to more effectively discipline retailers who are lax at checking ID.
But it's a question of bang for the buck. How much would it cost Mesa County to implement local licensure? And how much would a "crackdown" on local retailers accomplish given the opportunities to acquire tobacco and vapes through other means?
MCPH's examination of youth vaping and tobacco use offers some alternatives focused on modeling and education.
Overall tobacco use in Mesa County has declined in 2019, which is great news. But it's still higher than the statewide rate. According to the 2024 Mesa County Community Health Needs Assessment, just over 14% of local adults consume tobacco, compared to 11.7% statewide.
However, 16% of Grand Valley students said they were inside a car with a parent who was smoking or vaping in the past week. Across the state, that figure is just over 9%. Even more Mesa County students (25%) reported exposure to secondhand smoke during the past week -- either in their home, in a car or both.
One takeaway is that focusing on tobacco cessation among parents may help model good behavior. But students need actual information, too.
One focus group member who was interviewed by the Sentinel afterward, Palisade High School junior Isabelle Serve, said many of her peers who are addicted to vapes were unaware of the health impacts when they first tried them.
"I feel like it could be explained more in school, like how bad it is and what it can do to your life and to your health," Serve said. "...the schools don't really do more than a video and having a person in there to see if anybody has questions," she added. "Usually it's more on mental health and less on tobacco."
There's low-hanging fruit to be plucked, possibly, before the county commits to an aggressive regulatory environment. Parents and the schools could be difference-makers without asking local government to apply a heavy hand.