SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Use of e-cigarettes may soon be no longer allowed in Illinois public spaces.
In 2007, Illinois passed the Smoke Free Illinois Act to prohibit smoking in public and within 15 feet of entrances. Now Sen. Julie Morrison (D-Lake Forest) is sponsoring a bill that would add the use of e-cigarettes to that law.
“A tobacco epidemic continues in our state,” Morrison said. “We have made great progress, but the surge of use of e-cigarettes has threatened that progress and lured more people toward a deadly addiction.”
A 2018 study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found there is conclusive evidence that e-cigarette use increases airborne concentrations of particulate matter
and nicotine in indoor environments.
“E-cigarettes are not harmless," Kristina Hamilton, the Illinois director of advocacy of the American Lung Association, said. "The use of these products has skyrocketed in recent years with tobacco companies targeting teens and young people with enticing flavors."
Cancer research advocates say the bill would also curb second-hand smoke rates in the state.
"Prohibiting the use of e-cigarettes in workplaces, including restaurants, bars and gaming facilities, can protect the public’s health by preventing nonusers from being exposed to nicotine and other potentially harmful chemicals in the aerosol emitted by these products," Ally Lopshire, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said. "No one should have to choose between their health and their job."
The bill passed the Illinois Senate with bipartisan support and now heads to the House.
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via WCIA.com https://www.wcia.com
March 24, 2023 at 05:45PM
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