AURORA, Colo. — A nicotine manufacturing facility planned for northeast Aurora has sparked controversy among public health officials.
Philip Morris International announced on Tuesday it will invest $600 million over the next two years to build a new facility in the area of 48th Avenue and Harvest Road. The building will be used to manufacture the company's popular ZYN nicotine pouches, which are marketed as a way to get nicotine without tobacco or as a way to reduce tobacco use.
In a release, Philip Morris International said the facility will create 500 direct jobs and an ongoing annual economic impact of $550 million. The company hopes to begin preliminary operations by the end of 2025 and regular production in 2026.
Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman called it the second-largest private sector investment in the city’s history. He and other elected officials touted the facility as a boost for the area's economy at a news conference Tuesday.
“It’s 500 direct jobs and we think over 1,000 indirect jobs,” said Coffman.
The state approved about $4.5 million in tax credits for Phillip Morris International.
The proposed plant, however, has caused a stir in the public health space.
“Colorado likes to think of itself as one of the healthiest states in the country,” said Nick Torres, advocacy director for the American Lung Association in Colorado.
Torres said he is upset that the state provided incentives to Philip Morris International.
“To frame it simply as an economic story, as an economic opportunity, is to really do a disservice to people, Coloradans like myself who have lost loved ones as a direct result of Philip Morris products over the years,” said Torres.
Dr. Carolyn Dresler, a retired surgical thoracic oncologist, is also speaking out against the facility. She is worried that people — children particularly — will use ZYN as a nicotine alternative rather than a way to quit smoking.
“If they could demonstrate, which I have yet to see, any evidence that people are successfully quitting with ZYN, it'd be interesting to know,” said Dresler.
In response to the criticism, Colorado Governor Jared Polis said in a statement that "as long as it is legal, from marijuana to nicotine pouches to liquor to mushrooms, we are proud to have good jobs here."
