Illinois Passes 2 Laws to Prevent Youth Access

The state of Illinois passed two new laws this week aimed at making it harder for minors to access vaping products. The first law (Senate Bill 512) prohibits the use of cartoon characters, video game characters, and popular children’s media from advertisements for e-cigarettes. It also makes it harder to buy vaping products online. Buyers will now have to use a credit card or check in the buyer’s name.

The second law (Senate Bill 555) amends the Substance Use Disorder Act to include vape shops. Adding vape shops allows the Illinois Department of Human Services to do compliance checks on the sale of e-cigarettes according to the minimum purchasing age of 21, according to B100. The legislation also allows underage individuals to test retailer’s compliance under the supervision of law enforcement as a part of a compliance check without violating tobacco laws.

You must be 21 in Illinois to buy e-cigarettes. Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the two bills into law on Tuesday. Both Senate Bills 512 and 555 will go into effect on January 1, 2022.

“This legislation will make our communities healthier places to live, and most importantly, will save lives. I’m proud that Illinois is taking yet another step toward protecting the health and safety of our young residents from tobacco and e-cigarettes and I want to thank Attorney General Raoul, our partners in the General Assembly, as well as the advocates and organizations for their work to make these laws possible,” Pritzker said in a statement.