Community Feature: New Otero County Health Department Tobacco Retail License (TRL) Effective August 1, 2024

Congratulations to the Otero Local Public Health Agency (LPHA) Tobacco Program and their Tobacco Leadership Coalition for successfully replacing the La Junta Non-cigarette Tobacco Retail Licensing (NCTRL) ordinance with a full Tobacco Retail Licensing ordinance on May 20, 2024. The Otero County Health Department Tobacco Control Program was one of the first to spearhead local policy efforts aimed at preventing youth access to tobacco products. In 2012, founded the Tobacco Leadership Coalition by engaging 16 members representing various sectors serving youth in Otero County, including school administrators, school board members, youth-serving organizations, mental health professionals, local law enforcement, the county coroner, and others. A non-cigarette tobacco retail license (NCTRL) policy was successfully passed and implemented in Rocky Ford in 2014, La Junta in 2017, and Unincorporated Otero County in 2019. The Rocky Ford NCTRL was updated to a full TRL in 2021. In late 2019, the LPHA staff, along with their Tobacco Leadership Coalition, began work to update the NCTRL ordinances in Rocky Ford and La Junta. They faced numerous challenges, including turnovers in key leadership positions such as the Mayor, City Council members, City Attorney, and City Administrator. Despite these hurdles, the OCHD tobacco staff and coalition demonstrated resilience and perseverance, adapting strategies and maintaining momentum through continuous advocacy and coalition-building efforts. This achievement is a cornerstone in their commitment to public health and protecting youth from Big Tobacco. The Otero Health Department and Coalition extend their heartfelt thanks to our statewide partners for their invaluable support and guidance throughout this process and to the OCHD staff and Tobacco Leadership Coalition for their continued commitment to the health of the Otero communities, specifically in La Junta.