Aldermen have overwhelmingly approved an ordinance prohibiting the sale of flavored vaping products in Chicago, despite fears from some aldermen that the ban will simply send people who use them to the suburbs or northwest Indiana to get their fix.To get more news about E-cigarettes supplies, you can visit univapo official website.
The measure, approved by a 46-4 vote on Wednesday, would ban all flavored vaping products, except those that taste or smell like tobacco. The ban does not apply to flavored cigarettes, cigars, or chewing tobacco, including menthol cigarettes.
Ald. Matt O’Shea (19th), the chief sponsor, originally wanted to ban any kind of flavored tobacco, including cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco, but couldn’t get enough support from fellow aldermen, many of whom sided with retail groups who argued smokers would simply go outside city limits to buy those products, and increase the black market for so-called “loosies” – unregulated cigarettes.
O’Shea called the compromise approved on Wednesday “a major step forward” in protecting Chicago’s youth from the health risks of vaping products, which have become increasingly popular with teens and young adults.
“In 2019, more than 10% of middle school students reported using a vaping product in the last 30 days, compared to less than 1% just 10 years ago,” he said.The alderman said the CDC has found most youth e-cigarette users started with flavored vaping products.
“We all know that vaping is unsafe for children, and we all know that vaping products are marketed to children, with flavors like apple berry bubblegum, cotton candy, gummi bear, froot loops, nilla vapes, strawberry shortcake,” he said.Ald. Harry Osterman (48th) said vaping products are specifically targeted and marketed for young people.
“Don’t take my word for it. Ask any teacher, ask any principal, ask any pediatrician,” he said. “It is a gateway, and these companies are making millions and millions and millions and millions of dollars on the health of our young people.”
Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who supports the ban, said reducing tobacco use is a personal issue for her, because her late father was a two-pack-a-day smoker.
“I watched him die a slow, painful, miserable death. Why? Because of smoking,” she said.Lightfoot agreed with aldermen who said more needs to be done to curb smoking among teens and young adults, noting that some of her fifth-grade daughter’s classmates use vaping products in the school bathrooms.
“Make no mistake about it, the tobacco industry is targeting our children. They are targeting our children to addict a whole new generation of folks on tobacco, there’s no doubt about it,” she said.However, a handful of aldermen argued the ordinance will simply hurt the city’s finances, causing Chicago to lose badly needed tax revenue to neighboring suburbs and northwest Indiana.
“I have a real problem with this ordinance,” said Ald. Nicholas Sposato (38th). “We’re just killing businesses in this city. We’re making things tougher and tougher for people.”Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd), who also voted against the ordinance, and echoed Sposato’s fears of losing revenue to the suburbs, said he would have been more comfortable with a statewide ban on flavored vaping products.