Public Health in the Rockies 2026

The Aurora Tobacco Retail License+ (TRL+) campaign exemplifies the conference theme, Stronger Together: Public Health in the Heart of the Rockies. This work united two local public health agencies, the City of Aurora, a long-standing community coalition, multiple national and statewide public health advocacy organizations, the business community, and technical support provided through the STEPP grant. Coalition membership reflects this wide range of partners, and these relationships continue to support education, implementation, enforcement, and evaluation of the TRL+ ordinance.

Because the policy process was complex and required coordinated expertise, shared leadership, and deep community engagement, it could not have succeeded without strong cross-sector collaboration around an evidence-based policy approach. The Aurora TRL+ campaign demonstrates that meaningful public health progress happens when diverse partners move forward together, truly embodying the theme that we are stronger together.

In March 2026, Aurora City Council unanimously approved the TRL+ ordinance, expanding compliance checks to reduce youth access to tobacco, nicotine, kratom, and psychoactive hemp products, and establishing inspections to prevent the sale of unscheduled psychoactive substances and drug paraphernalia. This achievement was made possible through a coordinated advocacy campaign where each partner contributed roles aligned with their expertise, agency parameters, and available resources.

Following the March 2026 approval by City Council, the coalition transitioned efforts toward a new phase of the policy continuum focused on supporting the City of Aurora as the licensing program is implemented. A subset of coalition partners will assist with retailer education and program evaluation to ensure effective rollout and long-term policy impact.

This presentation aligns strongly with Colorado’s Core Public Health Services and Foundational Capabilities by illustrating how the Aurora TRL+ policy advanced health equity and the social determinants of health through community-driven strategies to reduce youth access to harmful substances. It demonstrates policy development and support by walking attendees through the collaborative policy process, ordinance structure, and negotiation strategies used with policymakers and stakeholders. The session showcases robust partnerships, highlighting how youth coalitions, residents, city leadership, advocacy organizations, and local public health agencies worked together across systems. It reflects key organizational competencies, including communication, stakeholder engagement, adaptive problem-solving, and coordinated advocacy. Finally, the content directly supports chronic disease prevention by addressing substances that contribute to long-term health risks and by equipping participants with practical policy-advocacy skills to advance prevention strategies in their own communities.

Participants will work through complex policy scenarios from the viewpoints of public health, youth, local government, business, and community stakeholders, negotiating which ordinance elements are essential and which can be modified. This interactive exercise builds real‑world skills in balancing health goals with political, economic, and equity considerations. Participants will strengthen their ability to navigate competing interests and build consensus around ordinance language that advances health equity.